According to a report from Russian federal agencies, the General Azi Aslanov oil tanker was hit by an explosion and a subsequent fire in the Sea of Azov on October 24. The tanker was empty during the event, leading to speculation that the explosion was caused by flammable vapors left behind from its previous cargo. The tanker is owned by Turkey’s Palmali Shipping and has a DWT of 6,444 tons.
According to Rosmorrechflot, the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport, the incident did not affect other shipping through the Kerch Strait. The Russian Emergencies Ministry said three of thirteen crew were still missing. Meanwhile, the Natural Resources Ministry also said that it had deployed a team to assess the environmental impact of the incident.
