Tanker set ablaze in Black Sea after unmanned boat attack

Russia says unmanned boats have attacked an oil tanker off its Black Sea coast, setting it on fire.

IMAGE: Getty Images

Unmanned boats attacked the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Aframax Rio off Russia’s Black Sea coast on Tuesday, Russia’s transport ministry said on Telegram.

The vessel was carrying crude oil when it was attacked by unmanned boats, according to the transport ministry. All 23 crew members have been rescued, the ministry said.

Authorities in the settlement of Sirius in Russia’s south Krasnodar region reported the fire aboard the tanker and closed local beaches, Reuters said.

“The open fire has been extinguished. Rescue vessels remain on duty. There is no oil pollution in the waters,” the transport ministry said.

Ukraine and Russia have continued targeting each other's energy infrastructure, despite diplomatic efforts at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) summit in New York last month.

The latest vessel attack comes one day after the cargo ship Royad Mammadov caught fire and sank in the Black Sea outside Romanian waters, killing two people, including the captain. Eleven crew members were rescued.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russian drones for the Romanian sinking. Romania has not named a cause.

Over the course of the war, Ukraine has repeatedly targeted key export hubs like Novorossiysk and Tuapse, as well as Ust-Luga and Primorsk on the Baltic Sea.

Despite US President Donald Trump saying on 14 September that both sides had agreed to stop hitting each other’s energy targets, Kyiv and Moscow have pressed ahead with cross-border strikes targeting vital energy installations and commercial vessels transiting the region.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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