Tanker “Koala” suffers multiple explosions at Russian port of Ust-Luga

An Antigua and Barbuda-flagged tanker has been reported to sustain explosions in the aft of the vessel while docked in the port of Ust-Luga, Russia, according to Ambrey Analytics on Monday (10 February). 

The tanker reportedly suffered three separate blasts while preparing to depart, resulting in the engine room flooding while the vessel was secured to the pier.

Ambrey said the vessel’s 24 crew evacuated with no injuries and the vessel’s cargo tanks were reportedly not damaged. 

Authorities in Leningrad, Russia reportedly described the blasts as a “man-made incident”. 

Finnish authorities are also monitoring the incident in preparation for a potential oil spill from the vessel. 

“Ambrey assesses this to be consistent with an attack but additional information is required to verify this,” it said.  

“Ambrey is aware of recent incidents in which vessels trading from Ust-Luga with a similar trading profile have suffered multiple explosions under the waterline at the aft.”

“The vessel was flying a flag of convenience and her ownership was obscure.”

The vessel’s behaviour aligned with Ambrey’s thresholds for a vessel highly likely to be investigated in connection with future sanctions designation. 

“The vessel was not sanctioned at the time or on the Ukrainian Military Intelligence list. This incident, and others that have gone unreported, will likely initiate a review of war risk premium rates for vessels calling Russian Baltic Sea ports,” it added.

Ambrey advised shipping companies to conduct asset screening assessments for all charter-party agreements and purchases, and to carry out dynamic voyage risk assessments.

Aleksandr Drozdenko, Governor of Leningrad Oblast, identified the tanker as Koala and that the incident occurred during engine start up.

“Efforts are underway to inspect the engine room and establish the cause of the accident,” he said on his Telegram channel. 

Photo credit: Aleksandr Drozdenko on Telegram
Published: 11 February, 2025