Russian Drone Hits Turkish Tanker That Works with Lukoil

On Monday night, Russian drones damaged the Turkish tanker Orinda, carrying liquefied natural gas, in the Ukrainian port of Izmail on the Danube, causing a fire to break out on the ship. It is noteworthy that the owner of the damaged vessel is one of Turkey's largest companies, which cooperates with Russia's "Lukoil."

The tanker was damaged during a massive nighttime attack on Ukrainian territory, which, according to data, involved 128 unmanned aerial vehicles and two "Iskander"-type missiles. 28 "Geran"-type UAVs participated in the attack on the Odesa region. As reported by the head of the Odesa military administration, Oleh Kiper, port and energy infrastructure, as well as several civilian ships, were damaged as a result of the attack.

The Orinda tanker, sailing under the Turkish flag, was carrying 4,000 tons of liquefied natural gas. According to Turkish authorities, all 16 crew members were successfully evacuated, and none of them were injured.

Due to the risk of explosion, Romanian authorities evacuated the residents of the border villages of Plauru and Ceatalchioi. Some houses in these settlements are located only 300-500 meters from the burning ship.

The 125-meter-long tanker has been owned since 2023 by the Turkish company Orinda Denizcilik A.Ş., which is one of the structures of the large Lokai Enerji holding. The group's website states that it is a "leading energy supply company" in Turkey.

Another structure of the holding, Dolugaz A.Ş., is one of the four largest companies in the Turkish liquefied gas market, with an annual trade volume of about 600,000 tons. In 2023, Dolugaz A.Ş. was included in the list of the 500 largest companies in Turkey, ranking 332nd.

It is noteworthy that among the partners of the Lokai Enerji group, according to the company's website, are the French TotalEnergies, the British Shell, and the Russian "Lukoil."

Murat Yıldırım, the chairman of the board of directors of Lokai Enerji, is a member of the Turkish-Slovak Business Council operating under the Committee for Foreign Economic Relations of Turkey. Yıldırım has also met with Ersin Tatar, the president of Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus, to discuss the region's energy needs.