Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – New evidence has emerged suggesting that the oil tanker Mersin, which sustained serious damage off the coast of Dakar in late November, was deliberately targeted in an explosive attack rather than suffering an accidental mechanical failure.
According to a video obtained and authenticated by Radio France Internationale (RFI), the Mersin, a tanker arriving from Russia, was hit by explosive charges placed at strategic points on its hull. The incident occurred on 27 November, when the vessel reported water ingress in its engine room while at sea off Dakar.
Visual evidence from the video, filmed on 28 November, shows four distinct breaches in the ship’s hull: two on the port side and two on the starboard side.
The largest of the openings measures more than one meter and exposes damaged internal piping. The hull is visibly deformed inward at the impact points, a sign experts say is consistent with an external explosion.
Several military and maritime security experts cited by RFI conclude that the damage is indicative of sabotage using explosive devices.
The clarity of the breaches, their location below the waterline, and the presence of microfractures radiating from the main impact zones all point to the use of magnetic mines likely planted by divers. Each charge is estimated to have contained at least five kilograms of explosives.
An offshore petroleum engineer noted that such a blast would be sufficient to penetrate the ship’s steel hull, which is between 15 and 20 millimeters thick. The inward collapse of the metal further supports the conclusion that the shockwave originated outside the vessel.
Notably, all four impact points are concentrated around the engine room, suggesting a calculated operation aimed at disabling the tanker rather than sinking it.
The attack rendered the Mersin’s engines inoperable but avoided rupturing its cargo tanks, which were carrying approximately 39,000 tonnes of fuel.
In the days following the incident, the Port Authority of Dakar announced that divers had conducted an inspection of the vessel. However, no official findings or conclusions on the cause of the damage have been made public to date.
The incident has raised serious security concerns, particularly given the vessel’s origin and the apparent sophistication of the attack, as investigations into the matter continue without formal disclosure from Senegalese authorities.
