Despite the explosion on board the oil tanker Vilamoura off the coast of Libya on June 27, all crew members remain safe and unharmed. However, increasing concern has been rising due to the fact that this incident seems to echo previous tanker explosions in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to the operator, TMS Tankers, there were no reported injuries during the incident, and the vessel’s crew successfully managed the situation without any casualties, Reuters reports. Additionally, no oil spills or environmental pollution have been detected, offering some relief amid growing concerns over maritime safety in the region.
On June 27, the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Vilamoura, carrying approximately 1 million barrels of crude oil, suffered an explosion in its engine room off the coast of Libya. The vessel had departed from Libya’s Zuetina port, bound for Gibraltar, when the incident occurred.
Following the explosion, Vilamoura is currently being towed to Greece and is expected to arrive by July 2. Speculation has arisen in some reports suggesting that the tanker may have been targeted by a limpet mine attack, though this claim remains unconfirmed by official sources.
An alleged a limpet mine attack was also linked to two other tanker explosions in the Mediterranean earlier this year. These are the same types of explosives believed to have been employed in the attacks on the Searcharm and Seajewel tankers, which were damaged in the Mediterranean in January and February. Following these incidents, Italian prosecutors launched a terrorism investigation.
Sources familiar with the investigations had then told Reuters that the location of the blasts on the vessels’ hulls, the nature of the explosions, and other evidence strongly suggest the use of limpet mines.
“Strong indications suggest that BPM 1 or BPM 2-type limpet mines were used,” one source had explained.
In a third incident, the Liberia-flagged chemical and products tanker Grace Ferrum was damaged off Libya in February, three sources then said to Reuters, with one adding that the vessel would require a salvage operation.
