A mind-bending Soviet-era oil rig city is ‘floating’ on the planet’s largest lake

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🗞️ Driving the news: Neft Daşları, or “Oil Rocks,” is a sprawling Soviet-era oil platform complex in the Caspian Sea, built in 1949 and stretching nearly 60 miles off Azerbaijan’s coast
• Known for its maze of bridges and industrial infrastructure, this “floating city” remains one of the world’s oldest offshore oil rigs and still produces oil despite significant wear and environmental concerns

🔭 The context: Once a bustling hub with 5,000 residents, Neft Daşları now supports only 3,000 workers on rotating shifts, as oil production there has diminished amid newer oil fields
• The platform includes unusual amenities, from dormitories and a soccer pitch to a theater, though portions are increasingly abandoned to the sea

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The continued operation of Neft Daşları highlights the environmental risks of aging oil infrastructure, particularly as the Caspian Sea faces pollution from fossil fuel production
• With Azerbaijan hosting the COP29 climate conference nearby, the platform underscores the urgent need to balance energy extraction with environmental responsibility

⏭️ What's next: Discussions around Neft Daşları’s future include proposals for a museum or tourist site, though dismantling it would pose major ecological and financial challenges
• For now, it remains functional but symbolically represents the transition away from fossil fuels

💬 One quote: “It’s really the cradle of offshore oil exploration… It’s part of the heritage,” - filmmaker Marc Wolfensberger, who documented Neft Daşları

📈 One stat: At its height in 1967, Neft Daşları produced 7.6 million tons of oil annually; today, it produces about 1 million tons per year

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