This year, five oil tankers have been hit by explosions that may have been caused by magnetic mines, most recently the Vilamoura, whose engine room flooded as it passed off the coast of Libya on June 27, prompting speculation that the explosions were part of a state-sponsored sabotage campaign.
The Financial Times writes about this.
The attack on Vilamoura last week follows another, almost identical, incident in January and three in February. While most of the incidents occurred in the Mediterranean, one tanker was hit in the Baltic Sea.
The four vessels belonged to prominent Greek and Cypriot shipowners. The tanker Vilamoura is part of the Cardiff Marine group of Greek billionaire George Economou.
The Seacharm, which was wrecked in January off the coast of Turkey, and the Seajewel, which was wrecked in February off Italy, are owned by the large Greek shipping group Thenamaris, controlled by Nicholas Martinos. The Grace Ferrum, which was damaged off the coast of Libya in February, is owned by the Cypriot company Cymare.
The tanker Koala, which was damaged in an explosion in the Russian port of Ust-Luga in February, is owned by UAE-based Vesta Shipmanagement. In May, the EU imposed sanctions on Koala for improperly transporting Russian oil.
All of the vessels had called at Russian ports in the weeks leading up to the incidents, leading to speculation that Ukraine was involved in the explosions. The Main Intelligence Directorate (known as GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine issued a statement on July 1, 2025, naming the Vilamoura as a tanker belonging to the Russian shadow fleet.
But the differences in the nature of the attack on the Vilamoura, which was hit in the main hull rather than the side, have given rise to theories about whether other possible saboteurs were responsible for at least some of the attacks. The four tankers were calling at ports in Libya, a country divided between rival factions that depend on oil revenues and are supported by various external powers. All of the tankers were also anchored off Malta to load supplies.
Martin Kelly, head of maritime security consultancy EOS Risk Group, said there were only “some” similarities between the latest incident and previous ones. He said there were several alternatives, including parties to the conflict in Libya and other states with the capability and motive.
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