The Altura tanker, which was attacked by drones, changed its flag at least five times
27.03.2026 - 11:30
The sanctioned vessel Altura, which was attacked by unknown drones in the Black Sea, departed from the port of Novorossiysk.
This was reported by the Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy of Ukraine Vladyslav Vlasyuk.
According to him, the tanker Altura, which is under sanctions by the EU, the UK and Ukraine, left the port of Novorossiysk (Sheskharis terminal) on March 23, 2026 with a cargo of Urals oil in the volume of more than 1 million barrels. P
The seller was Alghaf Marine DMCC, a company established in Dubai at the end of 2024 in the interests of Lukoil as a replacement for Litasco Middle East.
“This tanker has transported Russian oil to India, Turkey, China and Georgia at least 7 times since 2025 in the interests of Rosneft, Lukoil, as well as Redwood Global Supply (UAE) — a key element of the shadow network of 2Rivers Group (ex-Coral Energy), which has already been subject to UK sanctions,” Vladyslav Vlasyuk noted.
In particular, the vessel changed its flag at least 5 times: from the Marshall Islands and Liberia to Panama, and from November 2025 — to Sierra Leone.
In 2024-2025, the tanker belonged to the Panamanian Kayseri Shipping S.A., associated with Hector Varela de Leon — a person under US sanctions for participation in the Iranian oil sector. His network is associated with Mohammed Hossein Shamkhani — a key figure in the schemes for transporting Iranian and Russian oil.
After EU sanctions in October 2025, the ship changed its name, flag and management again.
Recall that on March 26, in the Black Sea, 15 miles from the Bosphorus Strait, a drone attacked a tanker of the Russian “shadow fleet”, which was transporting about 140 thousand tons of Russian oil. As a result of the strike, the tanker suffered damage to the deck, bridge and engine room.
