Mind-Bending Soviet-Era Oil Rig City 'Floating' Across Caspian Sea, Some Call It 'Eighth Wonder of the World'
Azerbaijan has fascinated tourists over the years, with the legend that is their "eighth wonder of the world." Neft Daşları is a Soviet-era structure that remains standing to this date in the beautiful Caspian Sea, CNN reported. The city is run by Azerbaijan’s state-operated company SOCAR and produces 3,000 tons of oil in a day.
Though large, this is minuscule compared to the supplies the country is receiving from other sources. The production is also nowhere near the output Neft Daşları provided during its heyday, Bloomberg reported. The dwindling production caused reduced investments in the city by the authorities, leading to broken bridges and submerged apartments.
The city was built in 1949 by Soviet engineers after finding black gold thousands of feet beneath the Caspian's floor, Bloomberg reported. The city stands roughly 40 miles east of Baku and is mounted on the carcasses of sunken ships.
The place flourished, due to the revenue brought in by their oil production, and boasted a population of around 5000 people. Soon there was a cinema, soccer field, lemonade factory, and a tree-dotted park, in the city, for the service of its citizens.
The city's name translates to "Oil Rocks," and contains an entanglement of oil wells and production sites connected by miles of bridges in the vastness of the Caspian Sea, CNN reported.
As per the Guinness Book of World Records Neft Daşları is the world’s oldest offshore oil platform. The country prides itself on the existence of what it considers to be a Soviet-era treasure and continuously guards the establishment with military vessels.
Neft Daşları despite its persistence has not been able to wade off the climate crisis, CNN reported. The Caspian Sea on which the city stands has been dramatically shrinking because of the constant exploitation of fossil fuels from its water bed. The stormy waters have further caused the collapse of bridges, leading to sections falling into disrepair and completely drowning into the sea.
The biggest reason behind Neft Daşlari's downfall has been speculated to be its reduced oil supply, CNN reported. The city was built to make it easier for officials to extract the black gold treasure buried in that area. For years the city delivered on its promise. At its peak, Neft Daşları supplied a record 7.6 million tons of oil. Now it has decreased to a mere one million tons a year.
Over the decades new oilfields were unearthed on the mainland, while the rigs in the floating city went out of use, Bloomberg reported. The price also began to fluctuate which impacted the revenue brought in by the resources to Neft Daşları. Present-time workers living in the city, are now only able to get 15 days' worth of work in Neft Daşları, CNN reported. The rest of the month they find employment in the mainland.
The city is also plagued by environmental concerns, with several reports of oil spilling and pumping of wastewater in the Caspian Sea, CNN reported. SOCAR in a statement committed to the public, that they will take appropriate administrative measures against employees who pollute the environment.
Despite being in ruins, authorities refuse to dismantle the city and start afresh in the area, Bloomberg reported. Experts believe that this is because officials do not want to bear the investment that would be needed to tear down the Neft Daşları.
Moreover, the authorities still consider the city to be a jewel in their crown and want to preserve it as long as possible. The floating city continues to be a closely guarded secret of Azerbaijan. To this date, tourists need multiple permissions if they want access to Neft Daşları, with even the all-encompassing Google Maps refusing to zoom in on it.