Drone Attack Sets Oil Tanker Ablaze in Black Sea; All 23 Indian Crew Members Rescued
An oil tanker crewed entirely by Indians caught fire in the Black Sea off Russia's coast after what Russia's transport ministry described as a naval drone attack. All 23 crew members were rescued, the ministry said.
The Liberian-flagged vessel was struck near Sochi, a resort city of almost 500,000 people on Russia's Black Sea coast. The ministry said firefighters had been unable to control the blaze because of its intensity, and that "crude oil is burning openly in the waters of the Black Sea". A fresh attempt to tackle the fire would be made once it weakened, it added.
Videos circulating on social media showed bright orange flames out at sea and a thick column of black smoke rising near the city. The mayor of Sochi said on social media that access to the coast and beaches was being restricted.
The strike came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off Romania's coast, killing one person and leaving one missing. Ukraine said the attack on that vessel was carried out by Russia, and that one Indian crew member was injured. Claims by both sides about the fighting could not be independently verified.
Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly targeted commercial shipping in and around the Black Sea since the war began in February 2022. In recent days, Russian forces have struck grain vessels carrying Ukrainian cargo near the coast of Romania, a member of the European Union.
Ukraine says its attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure are fair retribution for Moscow's nightly barrages on its towns and cities. Russia has said it targets military and infrastructure sites linked to Ukraine's war effort.
Both sides have said in recent weeks that they intend to intensify strikes. Russia has begun hitting key bridges in Kyiv and carrying out daytime drone attacks on the heart of the capital, a tactic that has disrupted traffic across the city.
Earlier Ukrainian strikes on oil facilities in southern Russia have left oil slicks in the water, forced the closure of beaches and led to what residents and officials described as toxic black rain falling from the skies.
Merchant seafarers from India form a significant share of the global shipping workforce, and vessels crewed by Indians have been caught in the crossfire in the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in recent years. The latest incident underlines how commercial shipping in the region continues to bear the cost of a war now in its fourth year.
No verified damage assessment of the tanker or the surrounding marine environment was immediately available.
