MOSCOW, Oct. 7
A Liberian-flagged oil tanker with an all-Indian crew caught fire off Russia’s Black Sea coast after what Russian authorities described as a Ukrainian naval drone attack, with all 23 crew members rescued.
The incident occurred near Sochi, the Russian resort city on the Black Sea. Russia’s transport ministry said the intensity of the blaze initially prevented firefighters from bringing it under control.
The ministry said crude oil was burning in the Black Sea after the tanker was struck by “naval drones”. Firefighters were expected to make another attempt to tackle the blaze once its intensity subsided.
All 23 Indian crew members were evacuated from the vessel. No fatalities among the crew were reported.
Images and videos circulating online showed large flames rising from the vessel at sea, with a thick column of black smoke visible from the coastline near Sochi.
Local authorities restricted access to parts of the coast and beaches following the incident.
The attack adds to mounting risks for commercial shipping in and around the Black Sea as Russia and Ukraine increasingly target maritime infrastructure, ports and vessels linked to each other’s trade and logistics networks.
It came a day after another vessel caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast. One person was killed and another was reported missing in that incident, while an Indian crew member was injured. Ukraine said that vessel had been attacked by Russia.
Commercial shipping in the Black Sea has faced persistent security risks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The danger has increased as both sides have expanded the use of missiles and drones against maritime and energy infrastructure.
Russia has recently targeted vessels carrying Ukrainian goods near the coast of Romania, a member of the European Union and NATO.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has intensified attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, arguing that energy facilities supporting Moscow’s war effort are legitimate military targets.
The latest strike near Sochi is notable because of its proximity to a major Russian population and tourism centre and because it involved a commercial tanker carrying an entirely Indian crew.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have signalled that they intend to intensify strikes as the conflict continues.
Ukraine has increasingly demonstrated an ability to conduct long-range drone operations against Russian energy and maritime infrastructure, while Russia has stepped up drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.
Previous Ukrainian attacks on oil facilities in southern Russia have also raised environmental concerns. Oil slicks have affected coastal areas in some incidents, while beaches have been closed following pollution from damaged facilities.
The immediate environmental consequences of the tanker fire near Sochi were not clear. Russian authorities said crude oil was burning openly in the water, but no assessment of the scale of any spill had been released.
The presence of 23 Indian seafarers aboard the tanker also highlights India’s substantial role in the global maritime workforce and the exposure of Indian crews to conflicts affecting major international shipping routes.
The crew’s successful evacuation prevented loss of life in the latest incident, but the attack adds another commercial vessel to a growing list caught in the widening maritime dimension of the Russia-Ukraine war.
