Ukraine attacks the "Russian shadow fleet" oil tanker in Turkey's exclusive economic zone, adding another favor for Turkey

On the evening of November 28, the Turkish Maritime Directorate first reported a fire on the oil tanker Kairos, which was flying the flag of Gambia and heading to Novorossiysk. The incident occurred 28 nautical miles off the coast of Kocaeli province.

There were 25 people on board the empty oil tanker. According to Turkish news agencies, most of them were Chinese citizens (19), Bangladeshis (4), Burmese (1), and Indonesians (1). No one was injured, and all were evacuated by the rescue departments sent by the local government to the accident site. According to Turkish CNN, the Turkish military has dispatched two ships and an aircraft to the scene for rescue operations. The Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure stated in a statement that the ship departed from Egypt. Some media initially claimed that the oil tanker was traveling from India to Novorossiysk. The accident occurred in Turkey's exclusive economic zone.

According to the preliminary judgment of the accident, the first oil tanker hit a mine, and the second was attacked by an unmanned vessel. Fortunately, the crew of both ships was evacuated in time. These ships were caught by the Ukrainian army while returning to Novorossiysk empty. Theoretically, their empty load plus burning, if they sink, will not cause serious damage to the Black Sea.

Turkey is a NATO country. Now Ukraine is openly attacking foreign ships in Turkey's exclusive economic zone, which has completely embarrassed the Sultan. It's a shame that the Sultan spoke well of Ukraine in front of President Putin, maintaining Ukraine's territorial integrity. Now it's good, although attacking foreign ships in the exclusive economic zone is not a territorial dispute, but if a fully loaded oil tanker leaks, would it pollute Turkey's fisheries and destroy its marine ecology?

Ukraine's actions, according to international law, interfere with Turkey's exclusive rights to develop resources, enforce laws or protect security interests in its exclusive economic zone, which may constitute an infringement of the coastal state's rights, or even be considered a form of aggression.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1850122981503172/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.