Dolphins perish as oil spill ravages Kerch Strait habitat
Following the fuel oil spill on December 15, caused by a collision between two tankers in the Kerch Strait, 32 dolphins have died. Activists from the Delfa Dolphin Rescue Center shared this information.
The Kerch Strait, situated between Russia and Crimea, which Russia annexed, is an essential shipping route connecting the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea.
Tragic consequences of the fuel oil spill
Since mid-December, 61 dead dolphins have been discovered, but the condition of their remains suggests that 29 of them died before the fuel oil spill. In the summer of 2022, Ukrainian biologist Ivan Rusev estimated that in the initial months of the Russian invasion, over 5,000 dolphins died in the Black Sea, representing 2% of the entire population of these mammals. Rusev explained that the sea washes up no more than 5% of dead animals on the shore, with the rest sinking to the bottom.
The Kerch Strait was a focal point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. In 2016, Ukraine sued Russia at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, accusing it of attempting to illegally control the area. In 2021, Russia closed the strait for several months. Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, has called for additional sanctions on Russian tankers.
First sea and land contamination, now dolphin deaths
The ecological disaster in the Kerch Strait happened in mid-December. Two Russian tankers split in half due to a storm, releasing thousands of tonnes of fuel oil. Greenpeace warns that Russia's militarization of the region heightens the risk of such incidents, and the current situation poses a serious threat of coastal pollution.
The tanker incident contaminated approximately 220,000 tonnes of soil. Russian authorities claim that around 40% of the cargo leaked into the sea, but NGOs suggest the scale may be larger.
Russian-controlled tankers are old, worn out, and often faulty. This means that incidents where they are damaged and pollute the environment could happen again. To prevent further disasters, Western countries and organizations like Greenpeace call for increased scrutiny and sanctions on Russian maritime practices.
