Oil tanker ablaze after sea-drone attack off Russian Black Sea coast

The Liberian-flagged Aframax Rio was struck near Sochi after Kiev threatened to intensify attacks on Russia’s energy industry An oil tanker caught fire off Russia’s Black Sea coast after being attacked by unmanned boats near Sochi, the Russian Transport Ministry has said. Its 23-member crew of Indian nationals were all rescued and no injuries have been reported. The Liberian-flagged Aframax Rio, which was carrying crude, was struck by sea drones on Tuesday, according to the ministry. The attack triggered an oil fire in the Black Sea, with emergency crews initially unable to approach the tanker because of the intensity of the blaze. Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin convened an emergency response headquarters, while the ministry said sufficient personnel and equipment had been deployed to deal with the consequences.

Authorities temporarily closed beaches in the nearby federal territory of Sirius, adjacent to Sochi, as a precaution. Local officials said subsequent monitoring found pollutant concentrations below permitted limits and that there was no immediate danger to public health. NATO nation decries drone strikes on merchant vessels off its coast In a separate incident on Tuesday, two merchant vessels were struck by unidentified naval and aerial drones in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, some 128 km off its coast. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical damage and sank, while the Palau-flagged Able caught fire. Eighteen crew members were rescued from the latter vessel, two of whom had severe injuries. One indicated that the Able was carrying Ukrainian cargo. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the attacks as a “blatant violation of international law and maritime law” and warned that repeated strikes were disrupting Black Sea shipping and…