Oil Tanker Vilamoura Explosion Spurs Security Concerns

The oil tanker Vilamoura, carrying about 1 million barrels of crude, suffered an explosion in its engine room off the coast of Libya on June 27, but no injuries or pollution were reported. The vessel, flagged in the Marshall Islands and operated by TMS Tankers, was traveling from Zuetina port to Gibraltar and is currently being towed to Greece for damage assessment. The explosion is one of several recent unexplained blasts affecting tankers that had visited Russian ports, with four other similar incidents reported this year. The Vilamoura had previously loaded Kazakh-origin crude at Russian terminals in Ust-Luga and Novorossiysk. In response, shipowners have increased inspections for mines using divers and underwater drones. These incidents have heightened scrutiny of maritime oil traffic tied to Russia, as Western sanctions have altered shipping routes and raised concerns over shadow fleets and sanction evasion.