Fire on tanker Aframax Rio after Black Sea attack extinguished, ministry says
In short
A fire on the tanker Aframax Rio, which was attacked by unmanned boats in the Black Sea off the Russian coast, has been extinguished, the Ministry of Transport said on 7 October after a staff meeting led by minister Andrei Nikitin. The tanker was carrying oil under the Liberian flag and its crew of 23 Indian citizens were all rescued, according to ministry data cited by Vedomosti. Authorities closed the beaches of the Sirius federal territory and restricted access to Sochi's seafront, while monitoring found no pollution of the water and air concentrations below permitted limits.
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Open burning on the tanker Aframax Rio off the Black Sea coast has been extinguished, the Russian Ministry of Transport said on 7 October. The ministry announced the result after a staff meeting on eliminating the consequences of the attack, chaired by transport minister Andrei Nikitin, according to Vedomosti and Kommersant. RIA Novosti also reported the ministry's statement that the open fire on the tanker had been put out. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
According to the Ministry of Transport, cited by Vedomosti, the Aframax Rio was carrying oil under the flag of Liberia when it was attacked by unmanned boats in the Black Sea on 6 October. A fire broke out on the vessel after the attack and open burning of oil began in the water. The crew consisted of 23 citizens of India, all of whom were rescued, with no injuries reported by preliminary data. [ 3 ]
The ministry said rescue vessels continued to stand duty in the area of the incident, and that a combined group of forces and assets from the Ministry of Transport, the Emergency Situations Ministry, the Defence Ministry and Krasnodar Krai had begun eliminating the consequences of the attack. According to the ministry, no pollution of the water area by the oil cargo was recorded, and on 7 October Rosprirodnadzor also said no pollution of the Black Sea had been detected. [ 3 ]
Authorities in the Sirius federal territory temporarily closed beaches because of the incident and organised monitoring of the state of the water and air together with Roshydromet, Kommersant and Vedomosti reported. Rescuers asked residents and visitors of the territory to avoid prolonged stays outdoors and not to open windows. The authorities in Sochi also restricted access to sea embankments and beach areas. According to monitoring data, concentrations of pollutants in the atmospheric air of Sirius remained below maximum permissible levels. [ 1 , 3 ]
Kommersant reported in the evening of 6 October that the mayor's office of Sochi and the administration of Sirius were not commenting on the situation, and that photographs of smoke and flame visible from a long distance had begun appearing in local social media groups. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The incident shut beaches and seafront access in one of Russia's main Black Sea resort areas, affecting residents and visitors at the end of the holiday season. It also raises questions about the safety of commercial shipping and oil transport in the Black Sea, which the documents describe as the target of an attack. Officials said no water pollution was recorded, limiting the immediate environmental concern reported so far.
Key facts
- The Ministry of Transport said open burning on the tanker Aframax Rio off the Black Sea coast was extinguished. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The tanker was carrying oil under the Liberian flag and was attacked by unmanned boats on 6 October, according to the Ministry of Transport. [ 3 ]
- The crew consisted of 23 citizens of India, all of whom were rescued, with no injuries reported by preliminary data. [ 3 ]
- Rescue vessels continued to stand duty in the area of the incident. [ 3 ]
- No pollution of the Black Sea water by the oil cargo was recorded, according to the Ministry of Transport and Rosprirodnadzor. [ 3 ]
- A joint group of forces from the Ministry of Transport, the Emergency Situations Ministry, the Defence Ministry and Krasnodar Krai began eliminating the consequences of the attack. [ 3 ]
- Beaches in the Sirius federal territory were closed, and residents were asked to avoid prolonged time outdoors and not to open windows. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Monitoring of water and air in Sochi and Sirius is being carried out with Roshydromet; pollutant concentrations in Sirius air remained below maximum permissible levels. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Who attacked the tanker and with what stated aim. The documents say the vessel was attacked by unmanned boats but give no claim of responsibility or identification of the attacker.
- When the closed beaches and restricted seafront areas will reopen. The documents report the closures and restrictions but give no end date.
- The extent of damage to the tanker and its cargo. The documents say the fire was extinguished and no water pollution was recorded, but do not describe the condition of the vessel or the volume of oil involved beyond noting it carried oil.
- The condition of the rescued crew beyond the preliminary statement that there were no injuries. Only one document reports the crew data, attributed to preliminary information.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Kommersant reports a tanker is on fire in the Black Sea near Sirius, citing the Krasnodar Krai emergency service; beaches in Sirius are to be closed and residents are asked to stay indoors. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti reports, citing the Ministry of Transport, that open burning on the tanker in the Black Sea has been eliminated. [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti reports the Ministry of Transport's statement that open burning on the Aframax Rio is extinguished, adding details of the attack, the crew and the monitoring. [ 3 ]
- Kommersant reports that minister Andrei Nikitin held a staff meeting on eliminating the consequences of the attack and that open burning has been extinguished. [ 4 ]