Marine Rescue Service does not confirm reports of spill after tanker fire

Russia's Marine Rescue Service has not confirmed reports of a major petroleum spill off the Krasnodar region's coast, the regional emergency headquarters said on October 13.

Social media posts claimed that a pollution trail could be seen between Arkhipo-Osipovka and Novorossiysk. They cited a satellite image purportedly taken on October 10 after a tanker fire.

The headquarters said specialists monitoring the Black Sea had not confirmed petroleum pollution. This describes the agency's reported monitoring findings and does not establish what caused the feature in the image.

According to Russia's Transport Ministry, an oil tanker flying Liberia's flag was attacked by unmanned boats on the evening of October 6, causing oil to burn on the water. The ministry reported the following day that open burning on the tanker had been extinguished.