An oil slick formed off the coast of russia after the attack on the tanker — the Russians claimed there were no consequences

In the Black Sea near the Russian coast, an oil slick covering approximately 25 square kilometers formed after a maritime drone attack on an oil tanker. Greenpeace environmentalists detected the pollution while analyzing satellite images, Meduza reports, according to UNN.

Details

According to environmentalists, the tanker was attacked on October 6 near Sochi, after which a severe fire broke out on board. The following day, it was spotted near the village of Lazarevskoye, approximately 50 kilometers from the site of the fire.

At that time, satellite images showed an oil trail covering approximately 8 square kilometers. However, by October 8, when the tanker was near Tuapse, the area of pollution had increased to 25 square kilometers.

Russia initially denied the sea pollution

According to Russia's Ministry of Transport, the attacked tanker, sailing under the flag of Liberia, was transporting oil from Novorossiysk to India. The vessel is preliminarily identified as the "Aframax Rio."

All 23 crew members were evacuated from the tanker after the attack. No injuries were reported.

At the same time, as early as the morning of October 7, Russia's Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing stated that no pollution of the Black Sea waters had been detected after the fire. However, Greenpeace satellite data indicate the presence of a significant oil-products slick.

An oil tanker is ablaze on a large scale near Russia’s Sochi06.10.26, 18:58 • 6446 views