Kerch Strait tanker crisis threatens Black Sea ecology
On the night between Monday and Tuesday, another Volgoneft tanker in the Kerch Strait sent an S.O.S. signal, reports the Russian agency TASS, citing the Marine Rescue Service. The vessel carries 4,000 tons (approximately 4,410 US tons) of mazut.
9:14 AM EST, December 17, 2024
According to the Baza channel, the Volgoneft 109 tanker was near the port of Caucasus, close to where two similar ships had an accident on Sunday, December 15. The captain reported a breach in the fourth cargo tank, causing mazut to leak into the ballast tank. Preliminary information indicates that the ship's hull remains intact, and no fuel is leaking into the water.
There are 14 crew members aboard, and their lives are not in danger. The tanker captain refused to evacuate the crew, requesting only a change of anchorage. Volgoneft 109 was moved to the Kuchugury area.
Ecological disaster in the Black Sea
Recall that on Sunday, December 15, during a storm in the Kerch Strait, the Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 tankers were involved in a disaster. According to Greenpeace experts, the resulting mazut spill could result in the largest ecological disaster in the history of the Black Sea. Preliminary data indicates that over 4,200 cubic meters (over 1.1 million gallons) of petroleum products might have spilled into the sea (the two ships together carried over 9,000 cubic meters, or about 2.4 million gallons, of fuel).
The Volgoneft 212 disaster resulted in one fatality, and 11 crew members were hospitalized. The entire crew of Volgoneft 239 (14 people) was evacuated, but the vessel ran aground.
Ecological impacts and state of emergency
On Tuesday, Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of Krasnodar Krai, reported that "oil products were washed ashore throughout several dozen kilometers." A state of emergency was declared locally in the Temryuk and Anapa regions.
Causes of the disaster in the Kerch Strait
Journalists from Izvestia determined that both tankers involved in the accident during the storm should not have been at sea due to their poor technical condition. They had exceeded their maximum operating period by 10–15 years. Furthermore, Volgoneft 239 lacked the required documentation. The design of these ships does not permit their use during storms, which further contributed to the tragic events.
