Maritime Monster All Jobs Moored Here
Smoke from the burning tanker off the resort town of Sochi, Russia petered out on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the vessel was hit by one or more Ukrainian drones. Russian authorities have confirmed that a “terrorist attack” on the merchant tanker occurred, and Russian media outlets have confirmed its identity as the Liberian-flagged Aframax Rio.
All 23 crewmembers (all Indian nationals) were evacuated safely from the tanker, and no injuries were reported, according to the Russian Ministry of Transport. The agency says that after an initial period of monitoring to allow the flames to subside, the fire has now been brought under control. Russia’s public health ministry claims that no pollution has been detected, though burning petroleum on the water was visible in bystander imagery from the night of the attack. Nearby public beaches have been closed as a precautionary measure, and environmental monitoring of air and water quality continues, according to Sochi Mayor Andrey Proshunin.
The vessel’s salvage status as of October 7 is unknown; in unverified images circulating on social media on October 7, local citizens suggested that the ship had taken on a list to starboard. The vessel is on the move, drifting with the current up the coastline of the Lazarevsky District, Proshunin said in a statement.
In a statement, environmental NGO Greenpeace warned that the attack on the laden tanker could lead to “unprecedented pollution of the Black Sea and the destruction of marine ecosystems,” exceeding the scale of the last two substantial spills in the region.
FULL ARTICLE AVAILABLE HERE: maritime-executive.com
