ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Gambian-flagged tanker caught fire in the Black Sea off Turkey’s coast on Friday, Turkey’s maritime authority said. All 25 crew members were confirmed safe.
The Kairos was sailing empty toward Russia’s Novorossiysk port, the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said on X, adding that it caught fire approximately 28 miles (45 kilometers) off the coast of Turkey's Kocaeli province.
The maritime authority blamed the fire on “an external impact,” without providing details.
Kocaeli's Gov. Ilhami Aktas told private news broadcaster NTV that the cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the area and efforts to evacuate the crew were close to completion, Aktas said.
The maritime authority posted distant shots of smoke rising from the area where the tanker caught fire.
