Sanctioned Oil Tanker Myra Sends Distress Alert

On the morning of 24 October 2026, the oil tanker Myra sent an Inmarsat-C distress alert from the open North Atlantic. It was about 270 to 290 nautical miles west of Northern Ireland and the Outer Hebrides. Waves were running to 8.8 metres. Wind gusts reached 70 to 75 knots.

RAF Lossiemouth scrambled a maritime patrol aircraft. Aberdeen Coastguard coordinated the response and broadcast a call for any shipping in the area to make contact. The alert came through at 12:38pm.

Despite the conditions, the Myra was still moving at roughly nine knots and still broadcasting on AIS. The cause of the signal and the condition of those on board had not been officially confirmed by the time the story was reported.

The Myra is an oil products tanker under British, European and American sanctions. The UK designated the Myra on 24 February 2026, on grounds it transported Russian-origin oil from Russia to a third country. Tracking records placed it near Ust-Luga, a Russian Baltic port, earlier in October, reportedly heading for Port Said in Egypt.

The EU approved an extension of the IRINI naval mission to cover Russia's shadow-fleet tanker traffic in late September, as attention on tankers carrying Russian crude through obscured routes has grown through 2026.

Its situation after the alert was not confirmed.