Oil Tanker Catches Fire

An oil tanker caught fire in the Black Sea on October 6 near the southern Russian city of Sochi. Dmitry Plishkin, head of the nearby Sirius federal territory administration, confirmed the incident.

The vessel, Aframax Rio, sails under the Liberian flag and has called at Russian Black Sea ports. It is listed under Ukrainian sanctions and is likely part of Russia's 'shadow fleet', which refers to a network of ships used to evade sanctions.

Footage of a vessel burning off the coast of Sochi began circulating on social media on the evening of October 6. The independent Russian outlet Astra identified the vessel as the Aframax Rio, a large crude oil tanker.

Starboard Maritime Intelligence data shows that the tanker is owned by Rio Enterprises SA, a company registered in the Marshall Islands. The vessel's location had not appeared on the service since September 20, 2023, and its last recorded position that day was near the Romanian port of Constanța.

Russian authorities have not disclosed whether the tanker was carrying oil. However, the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Mash reported that the captain had requested evacuation for the vessel's 23 crew members and that the tanker was carrying crude oil from Novorossiysk to India.

The pro-war Telegram channel Dva Mayora suggested that Ukraine may have been involved in the incident, speculating that the fire had started 'likely not without outside interference'.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety of maritime traffic in the Black Sea. The Sirius administration has announced that beaches in the area will be temporarily closed, and water and air conditions are being monitored continuously.