Footage of a large breach on the side of a Russian SIG tanker emerges

19 August, 2023 SIG chemical tanker. Photo from open sources A video has appeared on the network of the damage to the US-sanctioned Russian tanker SIG after being hit by a naval drone.

The video was published on the "Community Monitor" Telegram channel. The USV struck the vessel on the night of August 5, while she was on the southern approach to the Kerch Strait, about 30 miles offshore. Currently, the Russian chemical tanker SIG is under repair.

The video, which recorded the size of the damage to the starboard side, was allegedly shot by one of the workers of the enterprise that repaired the ship. The author of the video, whose voice is heard behind the scenes, suggests that the hole measures 8x8 meters, but these parameters are difficult to determine visually. It is only clear that the hole has significant dimensions.

He claims that a strike by a kamikaze marine drone completely tore through the tanker's engine room.

As a result, she lost the ability to move.

Hole in the starboard side of the Russian SIG tanker. August 2023. A frame from a video from social media

As previously reported, the defeat of the Russian tanker was the result of a special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Navy.

It took place in the territorial waters of Ukraine near the Crimean Peninsula occupied by Russians, near the Kerch Strait. The Ukrainian special service reported that an unmanned surface vessel with 450 kilograms of explosives was used to attack a Russian tanker. Later it was reported that the SIG tanker, which is capable of transporting almost 5 thousand tons of fuel, received a hole in the area of the engine and pump room, which was completely flooded with water. There was no oil or petroleum products on board.

At the time of the strike, there were 11 people on the tanker, no information about the killed was recorded. Most of them have abrasions from broken glass. Subsequently, an audio recording was published on the network, which allegedly recorded negotiations between the sailors of the Russian tanker. On the record, the crew says that the ship is afloat, but cannot move independently.

Consequences of damage to the Russian tanker SIG, August 2023.

Photo credits: Telegram/BAZA

The photos of damage from inside the SIG tanker were also published on Russian social media.

SIG chemical tanker.

Photo from open sources

The SIG chemical tanker was built in 2014.

She sailed under the Russian flag and, in particular, delivered aviation fuel from the temporarily occupied Crimea to Syria, for which the United States in 2019 added her to the sanctions lists.