Operator says that the Greek tanker, which was hit by an unidentified object, suffered minor damage.
The manager of Maran Tankers, said that a Greek-flagged vessel, the Maran Homer was struck by an unidentified object on 'Saturday as it waited for orders to enter Caspian Pipeline Consortium Terminal (CPC) at Novorossiysk.
The vessel was struck at approximately 4:35 am local time (0135 GMT) as it sailed outside Russian territorial waters, awaiting a cargo of crude oil from Kazakhstan.
Maran Tankers issued a statement saying that the crew was safe and there were no injuries. The deck and other equipment of the ship suffered only minor damage.
The company stated that the tanker has?since left Novorossiysk.
Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said that?no Kazakh Oil?was aboard at the time. CPC is the main conduit for Kazakhstan's crude exports. Reporting by Renee Maltezou, Editing by Toby Chopra & Louise Heavens
(source: Reuters)
