At around 5:30 p.m. local time on November 19th, the oil tanker "Swanlake", 13 Russian crew members, experienced a toxic substance leak in a sea area several nautical miles from the Turkish coast.

When emergency rescue personnel arrived at the vessel one Russian sailor had already been pronounced dead, and two others who had been poisoned were taken to the hospital for observation.

A preliminary assessment of the situation indicated the leak of toxic chemicals originated from the ship's refrigerated storage hold. However, the exact substance stored in that compartment has not yet been disclosed.

According to a media report, the ship's chief officer has been detained, and authorities are investigating the poisoning incident.

The "Swanlake" is a chemical tanker flying the of Panama, built in 2025. The vessel is 142 meters long and 18 meters wide.

As of November 21st the status of the Swanlake is "at anchor".