Fuel oil disaster strikes Kerch Strait: Beaches turn black
Two tankers, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, were involved in an accident 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 with the leaked substance. Beachgoers have recorded the unfolding events.
On Sunday, December 15, two ships, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, were involved in an accident in the Kerch Strait. The ships were carrying fuel oil and petrochemical substances. A storm with extremely strong winds caused the disaster, and it is possible that human error also contributed. Several passengers were on the decks of both tankers.
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 damage.
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 appeared showing the situation on one of the beaches from the perspective of a woman there. The fuel oil from the tankers was expected to reach the coast of Krasnodar Krai. The water and beaches changed color. In the video, a bird covered in black sludge lies by the shore, possibly unable to move independently.
"Baza," citing information from Governor Veniamin Kondratyev, states that fuel oil stains appeared throughout several dozen miles, 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. Residents report a lack of floating barriers that could contain the spill area, causing the fuel oil to continue spreading.
According to estimates from experts at the Russian Academy of Sciences, about 1,650 tons of fuel oil leaked from each tanker. Currently, 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 violation of safety rules for the movement and operation of maritime transport, which inadvertently led to the death of one of the crew members.
