The Russian oil tanker Elbus (formerly Euroleader, IMO 9290385), sailing under the flag of Palau from Singapore to the port of Novorossiysk, was damaged in a drone attack while transiting, the Turkish news outlet Ortadogugazetesi reported. The vessel has been sanctioned for carrying Russia’s Urals crude to Greece.
The Russian-flagged vessel was sailing near the Kastamonu area on Turkey’s northern coast. The outlet said no crew members were hurt.
According to the report, unidentified drones carried out the attack. Elbus sustained damage to its upper structures and was being towed to the port of Inebolu. The strike happened about 20 miles (38 km) north of the Abana district, it added. Turkey’s coast guard responded to a distress call and was set to inspect the ship to assess the damage and any risks. Ortadogugazetesi did not say whether the tanker was loaded or in ballast.
“A technical investigation in port will determine the source of the attack and the extent of the damage. Maritime authorities are closely monitoring the nature of the incident and the security situation in the region,” the outlet wrote.
All 25 crew members were unharmed, and no fuel leak was reported. Reuters, citing sources, said no one had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Elbus belonged to Sovcomflot until 2014 and has changed owners several times since, most recently in November. According to the Starboard Maritime service, it is now owned by Hong Kong-based QING JU SHIPPING LTD, and Elbus is the company’s only vessel.
Elbus is a 274-by-50-meter tanker that, as of 2025, sails under the flag of Palau. It previously operated as EUROLEADER (flag: United States), UNITED LEADERSHIP (Marshall Islands) and SCF ALDAN (United States).
A tanker with that number appears on European Union sanctions lists for involvement in Russian oil shipments.
EU documents state that the tanker PAGOS (IMO 9296406) carried Urals crude from Novorossiysk and conducted a ship-to-ship transfer off Greece to the tanker EUROLEADER (IMO 9290385), which then transported the cargo to India.
Open-source analysts traced Elbus on MarineTraffic. The tanker had been hugging Turkey’s coastline en route to Novorossiysk and is now near approximately 41.97101, 34.57699 — about 47 km (as the crow flies) from Sinop and 400 km from Novorossiysk.
In December 2025, Ukraine carried out several attacks on ships belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea. Following those strikes, tankers began altering their usual routes and staying closer to neutral waters. In late December 2025, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) released a report on successful operations, formally claiming responsibility for those attacks.
