All 23 Indian crew members rescued after oil tanker attacked in Black Sea

The Liberia-flagged vessel Aframax Rio, carrying a full crew of 23 Indian nationals, was targeted by unmanned surface vessels in waters off Russia's Black Sea coast, Russian transport authorities confirmed. The attack occurred on Tuesday near Sochi, triggering an emergency evacuation of the entire crew. According to preliminary reports, no crew members were injured in the incident.

Russia's Transport Ministry said the crew was successfully saved and brought ashore following the drone boat assault. The attack ignited a significant fire on the tanker, which burned with such intensity that initial firefighting efforts could not be mounted. Open burning of oil subsequently spread across the Black Sea waters in the vicinity of the vessel.

Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin convened an emergency headquarters meeting to coordinate response and containment efforts following the attack. The incident marks another escalation in maritime incidents affecting commercial shipping in the region, raising fresh concerns about vessel safety in contested waters.