Tragedy in the Kerch Strait: Oil spill devastates wildlife
An accident involving two tankers, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, occurred in the Kerch Strait. The first consequences of the disaster are already visible on the beaches. The water has turned black, and animals are covered in the substance that leaked into the water. Beachgoers recorded what is happening.
Let us recall that on Sunday, December 15, in the Kerch Strait, an accident occurred involving two ships, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, carrying fuel oil and petrochemical substances. The cause of the disaster was a storm during which there was a very strong wind. It is possible that human error also played a part. On the decks of both tankers, there were several passengers.
A rescue operation was immediately launched to evacuate people at sea. According to information from Russian services, at least one person died. On the Volgoneft 212 tanker, which was damaged and ran aground, there were 13 people, and 14 people on the second ship, Volgoneft 239, which was adrift after being damaged.
Disaster in the Kerch Strait. People are recording what is happening on the beach
The effects of the Russian tankers' disaster are already clearly visible. On the Baza channel on Telegram, a video showing the situation on one of the beaches appeared from the perspective of one of the women. The fuel oil from the tankers was expected to reach the coast of Krasnodar Krai. The water and beaches changed colour. In the video, a bird can be seen covered in black sludge lying by the shore, possibly unable to move on its own.
"Baza," citing information from Governor Veniamin Kondratyev, states that fuel oil stains appeared throughout several dozen kilometres, from the settlement of Veselovka in the Temryuk district to the stanitsa of Blagoveshchenskaya in Anapa. Residents are posting videos of "black beaches" and birds covered in fuel oil. Local residents report a lack of floating barriers that could limit the spill area, causing the fuel oil to continue spreading.
According to estimates from experts from the Russian Academy of Sciences, about 1,650 metric tonnes of fuel oil leaked from each tanker. Over 250 officers from the Ministry for Emergency Situations and 50 equipment units are working at the environmental disaster site. After the sinking of the tankers, the Investigative Committee initiated a case for the violation of safety rules for the movement and operation of maritime transport, which inadvertently led to the death of one of the crew members.
