Russian oil spill disaster threatens black sea ecosystem
Near the Kerch Strait, two Russian oil tankers malfunctioned, one of which broke in half. "The disaster could become one of the largest man-made catastrophes in the Black Sea," Greenpeace commented in a statement published by the Russian independent portal Meduza.
Two Russian oil tankers malfunctioned on Sunday in the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea, resulting in a spill of petroleum products.
The ship Volgoneft-212 split in half. As reported by the Krymski Wiatr channel, the tanker was shortened in the 1990s to meet river-sea standards. The middle section was removed, and the stern was welded to the bow. "There was a welding seam in the middle of the ship that couldn't withstand the impact of the wave," the portal stated.
The probable cause of the incident was human error in challenging weather conditions. The tanker crews called for assistance, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. So far, one fatality has been reported, while four crew members are considered missing.
On Sunday evening, it was reported that the evacuation of sailors from the Volgoneft-239 tanker was suspended due to adverse weather. Fourteen people are still waiting for help. A helicopter cannot reach them due to strong winds. "The ship is stranded 80 metres from the port of Taman. The bow is damaged and sinking underwater, so people have moved to the stern," a crew member reported, according to Krymski Wiatr.
The Russian agency Interfax reported a fuel leak in the Kerch Strait. The independent portal Meduza stated that each of the two tankers that crashed could carry up to 5,000 metric tonnes (approximately 5,512 US tons) of petroleum products.
If such an amount of raw material spills into the sea, this accident will be "one of the largest man-made disasters in Black Sea waters," emphasized Paul Johnson of Greenpeace in a comment published by Meduza.
The organization recalled that another tanker crashed in the same area in 2007. "According to official data, 1,600 metric tonnes (approximately 1,764 US tons) of fuel oil spilled into the sea. This incident led to the contamination of several dozen kilometres of shoreline and caused damage to the flora and fauna: heavy fractions of petroleum products settled on the seabed, destroying organisms that fish feed on, and petroleum products covered the water's surface, resulting in the death of waterfowl," Meduza reported.
"Wind and waves will carry the fuel oil spilled from the tanker wrecks to the Russian coast. It seems that Crimea will not be affected," reported the Krymski Wiatr portal, based on wind direction forecasts for the coming days.
