A fire at a natural gas terminal in the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga on Sunday was caused by an “external factor,” Novatek, Russia’s biggest liquefied natural gas exporter, said.
The operator said there were no casualties and the fire was “currently contained”, located 110 kilometers (70 miles) west of St Petersburg near the border with Estonia.
Neither Novaktek nor authorities gave further details on the cause of the fire, which is 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Kiev this week claimed responsibility for two attacks on oil depots in Russia, including one in the same Leningrad region where Ust-Luga is located.
The second attack in the Bransk region bordering Ukraine led to a large fire.
The Kremlin continues to portray the conflict with Ukraine as having no impact on daily life in Russia.
Tunnel vision: will London Underground become a tourist hub?
But with Russia’s presidential election looming in March, Ukraine has stepped up drone and missile attacks over the border into hostile territory.
Authorities in Usk-Luga had made a reassuring comment about the gas terminal fire, despite video posted on social media purportedly showing plumes of smoke and flames at the scene.
“There are no casualties as a result of the fire at the Novatek terminal in Ust-Luga port. The staff has been evacuated,” Aleksandr Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad region, posted on Telegram along with a short video showing a huge fire and smoke in a chemical plant. complex.
Ria-Novosti news agency reported that a 100 cubic meter container was burnt.
“A state of high alert has been introduced in the Kingiseppsky region (which includes the port),” Drozdenko said.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry and the local fire service were involved in extinguishing the fire, he added.
ArcelorMittal wants ‘friendly’ deal for Italy’s steel industry
Local official Yuri Zapalatsky said the fire started shortly before 2:45 a.m. local time.
The TASS news agency and other state media reported that the cause of the fire has not been announced.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that overnight Ukrainian attacks had been foiled, but made no mention of any incident in the Leningrad region.
The Ust-Luga complex processes natural gas concentrate into naphtha, jet fuel and marine fuel components, according to Novatek’s website.
The Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline leading to Germany, which was never put into operation after a sabotage attack in September 2022, starts from the city of Ust-Luga.
Source: AFP