Fire Extinguished on LPG Carrier Hit During Russian Attack on Ukraine

The fire on the Turkish-flagged LPG carrier Orinda, sparked by a Russian attack on the port of Izmail, has been extinguished. While the danger to the area has been abated, concerns are growing about a potential energy crisis this winter in Ukraine as Russia continues its attacks on the ports.

The 9,352 dwt vessel was alongside at Izmail offloading a cargo of liquified petroleum gas when the attack occurred early on November 17. Ukrainian port officials reported that the gas pumping equipment caught fire. The vessel, built in 2002, immediately commenced a shutdown operation, and the 16 crewmembers were safely evacuated.

Ukrainian firefighters were working to put out the blaze. Images show a fire boat positioned alongside the vessel, and by this morning, the fire was largely extinguished. The Turkish General Directorate of Maritime Affairs said it had been informed that the cooling effort had been completed and there was no more risk.

A portion of the gas cargo burned off during the fire, according to reports from Romania, which was closely monitoring the operation as the vessel was just 200 meters from one Romanian village. They reported that Ukraine had brought in a large vessel to refill the water tanks overnight, helping to reduce the danger of an explosion. More than 230 people had self-evacuated or were moved by the Romanian officials from two Romanian villages as a precaution. They were being permitted to return to their homes.

The vessel will be towed away from the dock to an anchorage on Wednesday, November 19, the Turkish Directorate reports. A full survey will be conducted to determine the level of damage to the 23-year-old ship.

While the danger has been reduced from this vessel, the concern remains high about a looming energy crisis as Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine’s ports and energy infrastructure. Ukrainian officials reported Izmail was one of several port areas struck in the latest round of attacks.

Ukraine, on Sunday, November 16, concluded an agreement involving the U.S., EU, and Greece for the import of American LNG as the country heads into winter. Starting in December, American LNG will be purchased with funds from the Europeans and Ukraine’s accounts to make up for the lost supplies from Russia. For the past decade, Ukraine has been supplied with gas from various EU states.

Due to the dangers of further attacks, the agreement calls for the gas to be shipped to Greece and offloaded. They will use a Soviet-era Balkan pipeline running from Greece via Moldova, Romania, and Bulgaria to get the LNG to Ukraine.

Speaking in Greece, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told reporters that Ukraine continues to rebuild after the Russian attacks. He said the new agreement would help to fill the void and ease the burden of time and effort required to repair the damage from the Russian attacks.