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Huge 'city' in the sea with 300km of roads and 2,000 inhabitants could soon be underwater
At its peak, the Soviet-era city had a groundbreaking 2,000 drilling platforms - a stark contrast to where the huge city is today, with its future remaining unknown
A huge city in the sea which thousands call home could soon be underwater.
The little-known Soviet-era city, Oil Rocks, can be found in the Caspian Sea, around 40km off Azerbaijan’s coast.
It was built in 1949 as part of the then-Soviet Union and earned itself the title of the first-ever offshore oil platform - even featuring in the Guinness World Book of Records.
The whole ‘city’ is believed to be around 17 miles, with one of its rigs being built on sunken ships. The future of the city remains unknown - once what was a historical piece of architecture, is now bleak uncertainty.
What lies underneath the city is a large oil-bearing beneath the water, hence why Oil Rocks was built where it is. The city allowed for oil extraction work, commissioned by Josphen Stalin, to begin, as reported by UniLad.
At its peak, there were reportedly 2,000 drilling platforms - a stark contrast to where the city is today.
Of the 300km of roads once built, now only 45km remain usable. Also, a flood dating back over a decade left some apartment blocks submerged up to the second storey. Despite this to this day, around 2,000 people still live and work in the city.
As of 2012, workers on Oil Rocks were still earning $130 a month - twice as much as someone employed in the same job on the mainland, German news website Der Spiegel reported at the time.
Continuing to detail the state of 'disrepair' the city has fallen into, the publication said: "Submerged steel constructions pose a threat to shipping, oil leaks abound and equipment is falling apart.
“Dismantling Neft Dashlari properly would probably be more expensive than simply keeping it going with a scaled-down oil production.
"To the government, the place is still the proud, closely-guarded secret it was in Soviet times. It is still very hard for foreigners to gain access to the city, which isn't even shown on Google Maps."
Oil deposits beneath Oil Rocks are only expected to last another 10 years, meaning the city will eventually become redundant.
Daily Star Sunday
At its peak, the Soviet-era city had a groundbreaking 2,000 drilling platforms - a stark contrast to where the huge city is today, with its future remaining unknown
A huge city in the sea which thousands call home could soon be underwater.
The little-known Soviet-era city, Oil Rocks, can be found in the Caspian Sea, around 40km off Azerbaijan’s coast.
It was built in 1949 as part of the then-Soviet Union and earned itself the title of the first-ever offshore oil platform - even featuring in the Guinness World Book of Records.
The whole ‘city’ is believed to be around 17 miles, with one of its rigs being built on sunken ships. The future of the city remains unknown - once what was a historical piece of architecture, is now bleak uncertainty.
What lies underneath the city is a large oil-bearing beneath the water, hence why Oil Rocks was built where it is. The city allowed for oil extraction work, commissioned by Josphen Stalin, to begin, as reported by UniLad.
At its peak, there were reportedly 2,000 drilling platforms - a stark contrast to where the city is today.
Of the 300km of roads once built, now only 45km remain usable. Also, a flood dating back over a decade left some apartment blocks submerged up to the second storey. Despite this to this day, around 2,000 people still live and work in the city.
As of 2012, workers on Oil Rocks were still earning $130 a month - twice as much as someone employed in the same job on the mainland, German news website Der Spiegel reported at the time.
Continuing to detail the state of 'disrepair' the city has fallen into, the publication said: "Submerged steel constructions pose a threat to shipping, oil leaks abound and equipment is falling apart.
“Dismantling Neft Dashlari properly would probably be more expensive than simply keeping it going with a scaled-down oil production.
"To the government, the place is still the proud, closely-guarded secret it was in Soviet times. It is still very hard for foreigners to gain access to the city, which isn't even shown on Google Maps."
Oil deposits beneath Oil Rocks are only expected to last another 10 years, meaning the city will eventually become redundant.
Daily Star Sunday