Drone Attack on Oil Tanker in the Black Sea

An oil tanker was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The Liberia-flagged Aframax Rio was attacked by an unmanned vessel near the Russian resort city of Sochi, according to Russia’s Transport Ministry. The attack triggered a major fire, with crude oil reportedly burning on the surface of the Black Sea and thick black smoke rising into the sky. The tanker had 23 crew members, all of them Indian nationals, and Russian authorities said all were rescued safely with no injuries reported.

The intensity of the blaze initially made it difficult for firefighters to approach the vessel, but emergency teams began operations after the fire weakened. Authorities temporarily closed beaches in the nearby Sirius area and monitored air and water quality as a precaution. The incident comes amid growing risks to commercial shipping in the Black Sea, where maritime infrastructure and civilian vessels have increasingly been caught up in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.