Huge fire engulfs Russian gas port, suspected to be caused by UAV attack

Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed on the morning of January 21 that a fire broke out at the gas export terminal of Novatek, Russia's second-largest natural gas producer.

“No casualties have been reported as a result of the fire at Novatek’s terminal in the port of Ust-Luga. The staff have been evacuated… A high alert regime has been introduced in the Kingisepp district,” Drozdenko said.

Governor Drozdenko added that the Russian Emergencies Ministry and local fire brigades were involved in the firefighting efforts.

Images from the scene of the fire at the gas export terminal in the port of Ust-Luga on Russia's Baltic Sea. (Photo: TASS)

Authorities have put the Kingiseppsky district on high alert and evacuated the port area. Firefighters have been deployed and first responders have been dispatched to the scene, according to district head Yury Zapalatsky.

Although the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, residents in the vicinity said they heard the sound of a drone before the explosion.

Ust-Luga is the largest port in the Baltic Sea, located about 170 km from St. Petersburg and 35 km from the Estonian border. It has 12 terminals, designed to handle a variety of products ranging from oil and gas, fertilizers, LNG to wood and grain.

According to Novatek's official website, Novatek's Ust-Luga complex is a condensate fractionation and transshipment complex located at the port of Ust-Luga. The complex processes stabilized condensate into light and heavy naphtha, jet fuel, marine fuel components and diesel, and enables the transportation of petroleum products to international markets.

The Ust-Luga complex also allows for stable transfer of condensate to export markets. The complex was put into operation in 2013, with a capacity of 7 million tons/year.

Earlier this week, the Russian military thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack over St. Petersburg, which local media said was targeting an oil depot. A UAV carrying 3kg of explosives was shot down near the city’s Joint Stock Company for Crude Oil Storage. It appears to be the first Ukrainian raid to reach the area.

(Source: Tin Tuc Newspaper)

Source: https://vtc.vn/chay-lon-nhan-chim-cang-khi-dot-cua-nga-nghi-do-uav-tan-cong-ar848802.html