Oil tanker caught fire near Sochi: beaches closed, residents asked not to open windows
In the Black Sea, near the coast of Sochi, a fire broke out on the AFRAMAX RIO oil tanker. Due to the incident, beaches in the "Sirius" area have been temporarily closed, and residents have been advised not to stay outdoors for long and to keep windows closed as much as possible. All 23 crew members on board the ship have been rescued.
Oil tanker catches fire near Sochi: beaches closed, residents advised not to open windows
The outbreak of the fire was reported on October 6 by Dmitry Plishkin, the head of the administration of the "Sirius" federal territory.
According to the Ministry of Transport of Russia, the oil tanker flying the Liberian flag was attacked by uncrewed surface vessels. The ministry reported that oil is burning in the sea area.
According to the department's explanation, it is necessary to wait for the intensity of the fire to decrease so that rescue vessels can safely approach the tanker. Only after that will it be possible to begin firefighting operations. The ministry emphasized that there are sufficient forces and resources available to eliminate the consequences of the incident.
According to the Ministry of Transport, all 23 crew members, who are citizens of India, have been rescued. Earlier, the Mash Telegram channel wrote that two people were injured. However, the ministry's subsequent statement said that according to preliminary data, there were no casualties.
According to the Astra publication, the AFRAMAX RIO is capable of carrying up to 100,000 tons of oil. Meanwhile, Mash wrote that the tanker was carrying crude oil from Novorossiysk to India and was almost fully loaded.
The Insider publication suggested that the vessel might be linked to Russia's "shadow fleet." According to DW, the tanker is not included in the European Union and US sanction lists, but Ukraine has imposed restrictions on it.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of previously made proposals to stop attacks on ships in the Black Sea. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on August 8 that Ankara had proposed to Russia and Ukraine to introduce a moratorium on strikes on vessels at sea.
However, on August 14, Russian Foreign Ministry official representative Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow sees no grounds to agree to such a truce. She also noted that no official request had been received from Turkey.