Senegal: Mine experts deployed to inspect a Turkish ship coming from Russia that was hit by explosions

Senegal’s Ministry of Fisheries announced on Wednesday that demining specialists off the coast of Dakar have been deployed to inspect the hull of a Turkish oil tanker coming from Russia, after it was recently hit by four external explosions.

In a statement, the ministry said the Dakar Independent Port had sent a specialized team of divers belonging to the private company TTS to conduct in-depth technical expertise and specific interventions on the ship’s hull.

“The company’s team is supported by a boat of the Senegalese Navy, which is in charge of monitoring and securing the perimeter of the intervention,” the statement said, noting that “operations to secure the oil tanker (Mersin) are actively continuing off the coast of Dakar… Despite the unfavorable sea conditions due to the winds, the vessel remains stable and under constant surveillance”.

Several government agencies are involved in the operation, with the aim of “evaluating and implementing the safest and most effective technical solution to secure the vessel and its cargo once and for all, with priority given to the protection of the marine environment”, according to the Senegalese Ministry of Fisheries.

Earlier, Senegalese port authorities confirmed that they responded on November 27 to a distress call from the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker (Mersin) and operated by the Turkish shipping company (Beşiktaş Shipping), with a cargo estimated at about 39,000 tons of fuel, and its crew of 22 people, most of whom are Turkish nationals, was evacuated, and a mechanism was deployed to deal with the water leakage caused by the explosions that the tanker was exposed to.

The Turkish shipping company said in a statement on Monday evening that the ship was hit by 4 external explosions on November 27 at approximately 23:45 local time, causing seawater to leak into the engine room.

The cause of the explosions and who was behind them is still unknown, but the fact that the ship is coming from Russia suggests it may have been attacked by Ukraine.

The oil tanker (Mersin) set off from the Russian port of Taman on August 21, 2025, and arrived on the coast of Senegal on September 25.