Sochi reopens beaches after tanker fire — The Moscow Times

In Sochi, located in the Russian Federation — an aggressor state, access to beaches was restored after checks of seawater for oil contamination. According to The Moscow Times, the city administration said that water samples taken in different areas met sanitary standards, while satellite monitoring detected no oil slicks.

Water and air checks

Beaches in Sochi and the neighboring federal territory of Sirius were closed on Tuesday after a fire aboard the Liberian-flagged tanker Aframax Rio. The publication reports that the vessel caught fire following an attack by Ukrainian sea drones on the evening of October 6.

Head of the Sirius administration Dmitry Plishkin said that tests found no traces of oil in seawater, while air pollution levels remained within permissible limits.

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Status of the Aframax Rio tanker

The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation had previously reported that rescue vessels could not approach the tanker because of the burning oil. The fire was extinguished on Wednesday. All 23 crew members, who are Indian citizens, were rescued.

The volume of oil aboard the Aframax Rio was not officially disclosed. The Telegram channel Mash, citing unnamed sources, claimed that the vessel was fully loaded. After the fire, the tanker continued to drift along the coast, while its operator, Executive Ship Management, reported the start of an inspection of the vessel by officials and two senior crew members.

Built in 2004, the Aframax Rio is 247 meters long, 42 meters wide and has a deadweight of 107,100 tonnes. The investigative outlet The Insider reported that the tanker had called at Russian Black Sea ports and is under Ukrainian sanctions. Kyiv linked the vessel to Russia's shadow fleet, which is used to transport oil while circumventing sanctions.