Three Powerful Explosions Rock Ust-Luga Port: Fuel Oil Tanker Begins To Sink
The Koala tanker, on board of which 130 thousand tons of fuel oil, was damaged and began to sink in the Leningrad region of the Russian Federation, Baza and Izvestia write. According to Telegram channel sources, several explosions occurred in the engine room of the vessel, after which the vessel began to fill with water.
The head of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, said that on the morning of February 9, a “man-made incident” occurred in the port of Ust-Luga on the Koala tanker during the engine start, as a result of which the engine room was damaged.
“The tanker is moored at the berth. There is no threat of oil spillage. The crew was evacuated, there were no casualties. Measures are being taken to survey the engine room and establish the cause of the accident,” he said.
Baza clarifies that the tanker, with 24 people on board (four Russians, eight Georgians and 12 Indonesians), sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, stood in the seaport in Ust-Luga.
The ship was loaded at night and, as it was preparing to sail, “three powerful explosions” thundered in the engine room. Their reason is not specified.
The crew, according to Baza, managed to get ashore, no one was injured. The tanker began to flood and eventually ran aground. Rescuers installed seaboom system. According to preliminary information, there was no leakage of petroleum products.
Russian publication Izvestia, citing a source, writes that a tanker is sinking in the port of Ust-Luga, on board of which 130,000 tons of fuel oil. The interlocutor of the newspaper confirms the information that the ship is flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, and there is no oil spill.
According to VesselFinder, the Koala tanker was built in 2003. He arrived in Ust-Luga on February 6. The Russian Emergencies Ministry did not comment on the situation.
The regional SC on transport reported that the sinking vessel was not damaged, there were no dead or injured. An inspection is carried out under the article on violation of traffic safety rules, the arrival of divers is expected to inspect the tanker.
Source: charter97.org/en/news/2025/2/9/629212/
