Claims of a drone attack on bulk carrier INCE EREGLI near Kavkaz Port arise as the ship reaches Yalova, awaiting official confirmation.
CLAIM OF DRONE ATTACK ON INCE EREGLI: The ship has reached Yalova, official confirmation awaited
It has been claimed that the newly built bulk carrier INCE EREGLI, which joined the İnce Shipping fleet, was subjected to a drone attack near Russia's Kavkaz Port. Ship tracking records indicate that INCE EREGLI was in Kavkaz at the time the attack claim was made and arrived in Yalova on July 23. However, there has been no official statement regarding the attack, and it appears that some circulating photos and news actually belong to another vessel named MV FILIA.
The claim that the bulk carrier named INCE EREGLI was attacked by a drone near Russia's Kavkaz Port has surfaced in Turkish maritime circles. However, as of the early hours of July 24, 2026, an open-source search revealed no public statements confirming the attack from the vessel's operator, flag state, insurer, or relevant authorities in Turkey and Russia.
AIS records show that INCE EREGLI arrived in Kavkaz on July 9 and departed from there on July 17. The ship arrived in Istanbul on July 19 and left Istanbul for Yalova on July 23. This voyage history confirms that the vessel was in the Kavkaz region during the days when the attack news emerged. However, AIS data only shows the ship's location and movement; it does not prove that it was attacked or that it came to Yalova for repair purposes.
INCE EREGLI is a 2026-built, Singapore-flagged Ultramax bulk carrier. The ship is approximately 199 meters long, 32 meters wide, and has a carrying capacity of about 63,500 DWT. The vessel's verified IMO number is 1044039. Compass Shipping 128 Corporation Limited is listed as the registered owner in P&I records.
It has previously been reported in international maritime media that the ship is the fourth member of a new series of vessels built for Istanbul-based İnce Shipping. The vessel was constructed at Jiangsu Hantong Shipyard in China and delivered in 2026.
It may have been confused with FILIA
International news regarding damage to a bulk carrier from a drone attack near Kavkaz was published on July 17 and updated on July 23. The name of the vessel was not explicitly stated in the report. However, the social media post from the same publication used the tag MV FILIA. Marino PH, a publication aimed at Filipino seafarers, also identified the attacked vessel as MV FILIA.
This situation suggests that the images or attack information circulating on social media may have been mistakenly linked to INCE EREGLI. Nevertheless, the possibility that multiple vessels were targeted in the same area cannot be entirely ruled out. A definitive conclusion can only be reached through a company statement, damage assessment on the vessel, port records, or a flag state report.
At this stage, it has not been confirmed that there are any injuries, fatalities, structural damage, or cargo loss on INCE EREGLI.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
