What happened

SOCAR's Azneft Production Union received reports of oil contamination near Dübəndi beach on 19 June. Vessel and helicopter inspections found a slick in the Caspian Sea between the coast and Pirallahı Island. Controlled diagnostics traced the leak to an Azneft underwater oil pipeline, and divers found external mechanical damage that SOCAR preliminarily attributed to contact with an object, most likely a ship's anchor. Oil transport through the line was suspended while repair work proceeded, and Azneft and Azerbaijan's Ministry of Emergency Situations deployed vessels and equipment to clean the sea and shoreline. SOCAR did not publish the affected pipeline's name, spill volume, slick area, throughput loss or restoration date. This record therefore treats the anchor explanation as a preliminary technical assessment rather than a confirmed cause.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.