🇮🇹🚢Oil Tanker attacked off the coast of Savona, Italy in February under preliminary investigation
On Friday night, February 14, while debunking operations were underway, two explosions were heard. The inspection led to the discovery that a hole of just under a meter had opened up in the ship's hull, or rather the immersed part. The twisted sheets of metal were facing inward: important detail, because the direction of the bend in the sheets of metal suggests that the cause of the tearing of the steel was external. The ship has a hole of over a meter. But the power of the tearing agent was mild, given that the sheets of metal in the safety chamber held, preventing the oil from spilling into the sea.
A preliminary investigation has ruled out an accident, and the case is now being treated as related to terrorism.
"We have a series of overall elements that rule out the accidental hypothesis," says the chief prosecutor of Savona, Ubaldo Pelosi . Thus, since yesterday, the explosions on the Seajewel oil tanker flying the Maltese flag have been the responsibility of the District Anti-Terrorism Directorate: the investigation is for "shipwreck aggravated by terrorism".
The ship, according to what was reconstructed in some journalistic investigations, is suspected of having transported Russian crude oil to Europe, despite the embargo. " Everyone needs Russian oil, otherwise the refineries will stop - an "insider" told Avvenire - I wouldn't be surprised if the final destination of the Seajewel was France, or perhaps even Genoa…"
In the latter case, the final recipient of the cargo could be a plant in Northern Italy. But these are elements that the prosecutors, who interviewed the crew, are ascertaining. The navigation data are also under scrutiny, to reconstruct the exact route of the tanker. But, above all, it will be a question of identifying the hand that placed the hypothetical device. It will not be easy, but the source of Avvenire ventures: "It could have been Ukrainian sabotage. But first we need to see where the crude oil comes from."
https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/139436