Drone strikes ignite tanker in Black Sea, while Gulf attacks widen

Drone missiles hit the tanker Aframax Rio whilst it was transiting the Black Sea on Tuesday night (6 October), setting the vessel alight off the Russian city of Sochi, Reuters reported. All 23 Indian crew members were safely evacuated before the tanker – understood to have been en route between Novorossisyk and Istanbul - turned into an inferno, giving off a towering column of black smoke that caused the resort city’s beaches to be closed.

The manager of the 2004-built tanker, Singapore-based Executive Ship Management (ESM), yesterday issued a statement saying:

“The Liberian-flagged tanker AFRAMAX RIO, under the technical management of ESM, was subjected to a security incident while proceeding southbound in the Black Sea off Sochi, Russia.

The vessel was attacked by drones, following which a fire broke out onboard and the crew abandoned the vessel.

All crew members were safely rescued with the assistance of Sochi Port Authority and brought ashore. All are safe and accounted for, with no reported injuries.

The fire onboard has since been extinguished. The relevant authorities, accompanied by two senior officers from the vessel, are presently inspecting the vessel and assessing its condition. Any environmental impact arising from the incident is also being assessed. …

ESM’s immediate priority remains the safety and welfare of the crew, the safety of the vessel and protection of the marine environment. ESM’s emergency response team and Master are continuing to coordinate closely with the local authorities, emergency responders and other relevant parties.”

ESM added that the circumstances surrounding this incident are now under investigation, and that it would not speculate on the identity of the attacker, the motive for the incident or whether the vessel was specifically targeted.

Ukrainian national news agency Ukrinform specified that the Aframax Rio “is not included on the EU or Ukraine's allies' sanctions lists, but it was added to Ukraine's sanctions list by a decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated February 12, 2026.”

Meanwhile, over in the Middle East Gulf the attacks on commercial shipping have also intensified, reaching their highest level since the start of the US-Iran war, according to Reuters. Attacks have also spread from the Strait of Hormuz to off the coast of Qatar, where a tanker was hit by multiple projectiles yesterday with multiple casualties reported.