Russia says tanker crew rescued in Black Sea after attack set ship ablaze - Reuters

An unmanned vessel attacked a Liberian‑flagged Aframax tanker off Russia’s Black Sea coast on Tuesday, igniting a fire aboard the ship. The incident occurred near the settlement of Sirius in the southern Krasnodar region.

The tanker, identified as the Aframax Rio, was carrying a crew of 23 members, all of whom were Indian nationals. Emergency responders rescued the entire crew and reported that none of the seafarers sustained injuries.

Firefighters were deployed to contain the blaze. According to officials, the fire’s intensity decreased sufficiently for the crews to bring the situation under control, and they had adequate resources to manage the incident.

Regional authorities in Sirius ordered the closure of nearby beaches as the emergency operation continued. Water and air quality were continuously monitored, with atmospheric data indicating pollutant concentrations remained well below the maximum permissible limits and posed no health risk.

The Russian Transport Ministry confirmed the successful rescue and the containment of the fire, noting that the incident had been fully addressed without further casualties.