Italian prosecutors have launched a terrorism investigation into an explosion that damaged an oil tanker anchored off the northern coast of Italy, the chief prosecutor of Genoa announced on 20 February.
The blast, caused by two explosions, created a 70 x 120 cm (28 x 47 inch) breach below the waterline on the hull of the crude oil tanker which was anchored near the port of Savona-Vado on Italy’s north-western coast on Saturday.
To remind, on 14 February, the oil tanker suffered explosions while docked in Savona, Italy. The vessel’s crew reported hearing two loud bangs, which were followed by a noticeable concave deformation in the ship’s hull. According to the port authority, the crew had halted the oil unloading operation just before the explosion occurred.
According to Reuters, in the past month, three oil tankers have been damaged in separate explosions around the Mediterranean with the causes still unclear. Ship tracking data and sources indicate that all three vessels had recently visited Russian ports.
“We took over the black box, the ship was not seized,” Genoa chief prosecutor Nicola Piacente told Reuters. The anti-terrorism section of Genoa’s Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating suspected “shipwreck aggravated by terrorist intent” he said.
