Moscow: Twenty-three Indian seafarers were evacuated safely after a Liberian-registered oil tanker caught fire off Russia’s Black Sea coast following a Ukrainian drone attack, the Russian Transport Ministry said on Wednesday (October 7).
The incident took place near Sochi, a major Russian resort city on the Black Sea with a population of nearly 500,000. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed the rescue and thanked Romanian authorities for their swift response.
The tanker was carrying an entirely Indian crew when it was targeted by what the ministry described as “naval drones”. The ministry said the fire was initially too intense for emergency crews to tackle. The attack caused crude oil on the vessel to catch fire. Flames spread across the ship and a thick column of black smoke rose into the air. Videos shared on social media showed intense orange flames burning on the water close to the coastline and dense black smoke rising from the tanker. Firefighters were expected to attempt to bring the blaze under control after the flames weakened. The attack near Sochi occurred a day after another commercial vessel, MV ROYAD MAMMADOV, caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast. Two foreign nationals died in that incident. Several crew members were injured, including three Indian nationals. Romanian authorities rescued the injured crew members and rushed them to hospital for treatment.
