Crude Tanker Suffers Explosion Near Libya Amid Rising Maritime Threats

A large crude oil tanker managed by a Greek company has suffered an explosion while sailing off the coast of Libya, according to maritime security consultancy Vanguard.

The vessel, named Vilamoura, was travelling through the central Mediterranean when it experienced what is suspected to be a security-related incident.

The explosion occurred about 80 nautical miles off the Libyan coast. The Vilamoura, a crude tanker with a deadweight tonnage of 158,000, reported an onboard blast followed by flooding in the engine room.

No further details about injuries or damage to the cargo have been confirmed.

On Saturday afternoon, the oceangoing tug Boka Summit reached the tanker at a location near Benghazi. According to AIS tracking data provided by Pole Star, the tug took the damaged vessel in tow. By Sunday night, both vessels were moving through the central Mediterranean towards Greece at a slow speed of approximately four knots.

While the exact cause of the explosion is still unknown, maritime analysts have raised the possibility of a limpet mine attack.

Over the last year, the tanker made two visits to Russian ports, one at Ust-Luga and another in the Black Sea region. Despite strong GPS interference in the area, the vessel appeared to be near Sochi and Novorossiysk, a key export terminal for Russian and Kazakh crude.

Vanguard added that these past port calls could be relevant to the investigation. Analysts are also looking into whether there could be geopolitical motives behind the explosion.

Since the start of 2025, multiple oil tankers have experienced unexplained explosions, and investigators believe several of these may have been caused by limpet mines.

Some of the affected vessels include the Grace Ferrum (Liberia-flagged), Seacharm (Marshall Islands-flagged), Seajewel (Malta-flagged), and Kola (Antigua and Barbuda-flagged). All of them had recently stopped at Russian ports before the incidents occurred.

Investigations into the explosion aboard the tanker Vilamoura are underway.

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