ATHENS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Greek maritime security firm confirmed on Tuesday that three Greek-owned tankers were struck by unidentified drones earlier in the day while anchored in the Black Sea, awaiting crude oil loading at a Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal.
According to the Greek official news agency AMNA, the security firm Diaplous has been monitoring the incident and identified the vessels as the Maltese-flagged MT Matilda, managed by Thenamaris, and two Liberian-flagged ships, namely MT Delta Harmony and MT Delta Supreme, both operated by Delta Tankers.
Initial reports said four tankers had been hit by drones in the area. However, Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company KazMunayGas (KMG) and the country's Energy Ministry later reported that two tankers designated to load Kazakh oil were attacked near the terminal in the Black Sea.
Despite discrepancies over the number of vessels affected, reports from several sources said that details regarding the type of drones, the precise points of impact, and the full extent of the damage remain unverified.
The CPC terminal near Novorossiysk port on the Russian coast has been repeatedly targeted in the past amid the Ukraine conflict. However, no party has so far claimed responsibility for the latest attack.
