AFRAMAX RIO
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Tanker may be under tow
Smoke from the burning 'Aframax Rio' off the resort town of Soch petered out on Sep 7, less than 24 hours after the vessel was hit by one or more Ukrainian drones. The Russian Ministry of Transport allegedly brought the fire under control after an initial period of monitoring to allow the flames to subside. While Russia's public health ministry claimed that no pollution has been detected, burning petroleum on the water was visible. and nearby public beaches have been closed. The ship had taken on a list to starboard side and was drifting with the current up the coastline of the Lazarevsky District. The city's emergency response team was constantly monitoring the situation. Greenpeace warned that the attack on the laden tanker could lead to an unprecedented pollution of the Black Sea and the destruction of marine ecosystems, exceeding the scale of the last two substantial spills in the region, with the Russian oil posing direct threat to the people of Russia itself and to the environment of the entire Black Sea region. A spill of petroleum products has already created an oil slick of about 25 square kilometers in the area. According to the environmental organisation, the fire was most likely caused by burning bunker fuel rather than by the oil the tanker was transporting. Around midday on Oct 7, the tanker was near Lazarevskoye, about 50 kilometers from the site of the fire. By Oct 8, it was near Tuapse. The charred wreck was anchored with a list to starboard side and down by the stern near Novorossiysk. On Oct 12, residents complained of an oil pollution near Yuzhnaya Ozerovka. On Oct 13 workers started to remove the oil. The owner was advised to move the tanker to a safe anchorage off Novorossiysk until Oct 31, as the anchorage N415 was deemed unsafe. Tugs have to keep the wreck in position 24/7. Report with photo: https://theins.press/en/news/298132
Tanker ablaze after drone strike
On Oct 6, 2026, the 'Aframax Rio', carrying a cargo of oil, was struck by unmanned drone boats off the coast of Sochi, near the border between Russia and Georgia. Initially, a substantial fire was centered on cargo tanks amidships, followed by obvious signs of burning oil spreading aft down the starboard side. Later a large pool of burning oil was spilling on the water at the aft of the vessel and a towering column of smoke. Russia’s Transport Ministry said that all 23 crew members, who wdre Indian nationals, were rescued and preliminary information indicated there were no injuries among them. The tanker was fully ablaze in the evening; firefighting efforts could not be initiated immediately due to the intensity of the fire. Firefighting efforts would begin once the fire’s intensity had subsided and rescue vessels could safely approach the tanker. The tanker drifted with northern currents towards the Lazarevsky District on Oct 7. The fire could be put out by rescue forces, the wreck was still smouldering. Sochi residents were urged to keep their windows shut and stay indoors. Dmitry Plishkin, head of the Sirius federal territory administration, said that beaches in Sirius were closed following the fire, while the water and air quality were being continuously monitored. According to atmospheric air quality monitoring data, pollutant concentrations in the Sirius Federal Territory refromed lower than the maximum permissible concentrations and pose no threat to health. Sochi Mayor Andrei Proshunin said the city’s beaches and waterfront promenades would remain closed until further notice. The decision followed a meeting with security officials, emergency responders and public health and weather agencies. On Oct 5, the ship had been located at a position just off the coast of Sirius, a small coastal town to the southeast of Sochi. The vessel was transporting crude oil from Novorossiysk to India and was loaded almost to the brim. The last declared route for the vessel began on Sep 11, when it departed from th port of Tuzla. Later, it was at an anchorage off Samsun, from where it departed on Sep 19 enroute to Constanța. The vessel made an intermediate anchorage stop in Samsun, departing on Sep 19 and arriving in Constanța on Sep 22. On Oct 3 it was located at 43.21024, 40.05353. The vessel had not transmitted its current destination and was 15 kilometres off Sochi on Oct 5. On Feb 12, 2026, Ukraine had imposed sanctions on the shadow tanker due to suspicions that it was being used to circumvent sanctions against Russia. The vessel is owned by Rio Enterprises SA, a company registered in the Marshall Islands. Its operations and chartering have been handled through international operator Navig8 Group, based in Singapore, and Greek ship management companies, including the Hellenic Tankers Co. It was built in 2004. Until 2012, the vessel sailed under the Singapore flag, then it was transferred to the Panamanian flag, and in 2023 to Liberia. The tanker had repeatedly transported oil from Russian ports between 2024 and 2026, most frequently from Ust-Luga, but also from Novorossiysk and Taman. Its listed destinations included India, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. Tankertrackers.com initially identified the affected tanker as the 'Sphere' (IMO: 9323974), which was later corrected. Reports with photos and video: https://kyivindependent.com/shadow-fleet-tanker-reportedly-ablaze-near-russian-port-city-sochi/ https://odessa-journal.com/oil-tanker-linked-to-russias-shadow-fleet-catches-fire-near-sochi https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/fire-erupts-on-liberia-flagged-oil-tanker-near-russia-s-sochi-authorities/4080163 https://x.com/agents_media/status/2107520718350975421
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