Read Authentic Ratings for the Ursus-Maritimus

On January 23, 2026, the oil tanker 'Ursus Maritimus' made its way through the Bosphorus Strait, visibly marked by substantial damage on its main deck. The incident occurred following a harrowing period on December 21 and 22, when the vessel faced a series of drone assaults from Ukrainian forces during its loading operations at the Russian port of Taman. Currently en route to Tuzla for much-needed repairs, the 'Ursus Maritimus' is expected to arrive at its destination on January 24.

On May 7, 2018, the tanker British Cygnet, laden with crude oil sourced from Primorsk, made a strategic diversion to the waters off Venezuela. This maneuver was in direct response to legal orders from at least two Caribbean courts, which had sanctioned the seizure of assets belonging to PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A.), the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas enterprise. The seizures stemmed from a claim by CONOCO Phillips, which sought $2 billion in compensation for losses incurred following the nationalization of its projects in Venezuela back in 2007. The British Cygnet's cargo, which included both Russian and U.S. crude oil, was intended for the Curacao refinery, where it would be blended with crude extracted from the Orinoco Belt oil fields.