Ukraine drone strike sets fire to oil tanker carrying 23 Indians off Russia
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Moscow: A Ukrainian drone attack set fire to a Liberian-flagged oil tanker carrying an all-Indian crew off Russia’s Black Sea coast, with all 23 crew members rescued, the Russian Transport Ministry said.
According to the ministry, the tanker was attacked by “naval drones”, after which the crude oil onboard caught fire in the Black Sea. The blaze was initially too intense for firefighters to tackle.
Firefighters will make another attempt to bring the fire under control once the intensity of the blaze decreases, the ministry said.
All 23 crew members were rescued following the attack. The incident took place near Sochi, the popular Russian resort city on the Black Sea coast, which has a population of nearly 500,000.
Visuals circulating on social media showed bright orange flames burning on the sea, with a thick column of black smoke rising near Sochi. The city’s mayor said on social media that access to the coast and beaches was being restricted following the incident.
The tanker attack came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast, killing one person and leaving another missing. Ukraine said the drone attack was launched by Russia, and one Indian crew member was injured in that incident.
Commercial shipping in the Black Sea has increasingly come under attack since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022, with both sides targeting vessels and maritime infrastructure.
In recent days, Russia has struck grain vessels carrying Ukrainian goods near Romania, an EU member state. Ukraine has defended its attacks on Russian oil infrastructure as retaliation for Moscow’s nightly strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Both sides have vowed to intensify attacks, raising concerns over the safety of commercial vessels in the Black Sea.
Russia has also intensified attacks on key bridges in Kyiv and carried out daytime drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital, causing severe disruption and gridlock.
The latest tanker fire has further highlighted the risks to commercial shipping as the conflict continues.
With IANS inputs