Large tanker from Russia's “shadow fleet” catches fire near Sochi

A large oil tanker caught fire near the Russian city of Sochi: according to witnesses, flames quickly engulfed the vessel — apparently because flammable substances had leaked not only onto the deck but also onto the sea surface around the ship. Emergency services have been deployed to the scene, but details of the operation have not yet been disclosed.

One Russian military Telegram channel suggested that Ukraine may have been involved in the incident. However, neither the Ukrainian army nor Russian authorities have confirmed a possible drone attack. There is also no information yet on the cause of the fire, the number of crew members, or any possible casualties.

According to the ship-tracking service MarineTraffic, the large Liberian-flagged tanker AFRAMAX RIO passed through the area near Sochi where the fire broke out within the last 24 hours, although its automatic identification system (AIS) last recorded its position on Monday.

The vessel was added to Ukraine's sanctions list back in February this year as part of what is known as Russia's “shadow fleet” — ships believed to be used to circumvent sanctions on the transport of Russian oil.

Source: novinky.cz