All 23 Indian crew members aboard a Liberia-flagged oil tanker were rescued and evacuated to shore after the vessel came under attack by unmanned surface vessels (USVs) off Russia’s Black Sea coast, Russian authorities said.
The Aframax Rio tanker was attacked by drone boats on Tuesday near Sochi, a popular resort city on Russia’s Black Sea coast. According to preliminary information from the Russian Transport Ministry, all 23 crew members were Indian nationals and none of them was injured.
“The crew has been saved and evacuated to shore,” a spokesman for the Russian Transport Ministry told the state-run TASS news agency.
The ministry said the attack occurred while open fire was raging in the Black Sea waters. Russia’s Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin held a headquarters meeting to coordinate efforts to deal with the consequences of the attack on the tanker.
The fire on the vessel was reportedly so intense that firefighting operations could not begin immediately. Oil was continuing to burn in the Black Sea area, and firefighting teams could approach the tanker only after the intensity of the blaze decreased enough to allow rescue vessels to reach it safely.
As a precaution, Sochi Mayor Andrey Proshunin temporarily restricted access to the city’s beaches and sea embankments. Residents and visitors were advised to avoid the area until authorities issued an official decision allowing access to resume.
The Black Sea has emerged as a major area of concern for international commercial shipping amid increasing attacks on vessels and port infrastructure linked to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The region is an important route for global trade.
The latest attack occurred two days after at least two people were killed and several crew members, including one Indian national, were injured when a Russian drone strike caused a fire on a Turkish-owned civilian cargo vessel in the Black Sea.
India has expressed serious concern over attacks targeting commercial vessels and seafarers in the region. The Ministry of External Affairs said that attacks on traffic in international waterways were seriously affecting global commerce and the welfare of people worldwide. India has continued to call for dialogue and diplomacy to end the ongoing conflicts.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday that India has moved beyond advocacy and intensified its efforts in recent months to help resolve the Ukraine conflict through engagement with both Kyiv and Moscow.