An ammonia leak during loading operations on the LPG tanker "Eco Wizard" reportedly triggered an explosion, resulting in the tanker sinking at one of Russia's most strategically important ports, located in the Leningrad Region of northwest Russia on the Gulf of Finland.
German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported that Eco Wizard experienced an explosion during onboard loading operations at Ust-Luga seaport. All crew members were safely evacuated...
On a tanker in the Leningrad Region of Russia, an ammonia leak occurred. This is already the sixth tanker this year that has been affected in some way by an explosion after entering Russian ports. The incident took place at the Russian port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea during the loading of the tanker Eco Wizard, according to the Russian Ministry of Transport.
Telegram channel "MNS | Moscow • News • Events," citing its sources, reports that an explosion occurred on board the tanker during ammonia pumping operations at the terminal of JSC "MHK Eurochem." As a result, holes appeared in the hull of the ammonia carrier, through which water began to flood. Eco Wizard sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands and arrived in Ust-Luga from Belgium.
Current location of Eco Wizard.
The owner of the vessel is StealthGas Inc. Additional details about the owner:
Ust-Luga is one of the most strategically important ports in Russia—economically, logistically, and geopolitically, mainly because it handles over 100 million tons of cargo annually, including coal, oil products, fertilizers, and LNG.
The incident marks the sixth tanker explosion at a Russian port this year, raising suspicions of possible sabotage by Ukrainian special forces or Western intelligence operations—mysterious explosions for sure.
