Oil disaster looms in the Black Sea after Russian tankers break
Near the Kerch Strait, two Russian oil tankers malfunctioned, and one of them broke in half. "The disaster could become one of the largest man-made catastrophes in the Black Sea," Greenpeace stated in a comment published by the Russian independent portal Meduza.
3:24 PM EST, December 15, 2024
On Sunday, two Russian oil tankers experienced malfunctions in the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea, resulting in a spill of petroleum products.
The ship Volgoneft-212 split into two parts. According to the Krymski Wiatr channel, the tanker had been modified in the 1990s to comply with river-sea standards. This involved removing the middle section and joining the bow to the stern. The portal explained that the welding seam at the ship's center failed under the force of the wave.
The probable cause of the incident was human error in challenging weather conditions. The tanker crews called for help, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. So far, there is news of one fatality, while four crew members are reported missing.
On Sunday evening, it was reported that the evacuation of sailors from the Volgoneft-239 tanker was suspended due to bad weather. Fourteen people are still waiting for help. A helicopter is unable to reach them due to strong winds. "The ship is stranded 260 feet from the port of Taman. The bow is damaged and sinking underwater, so people moved to the stern," reported a crew member, 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 involved in the incident could carry up to 5,000 metric tons (approximately 5,512 U.S. 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 the environmental organization Greenpeace in a comment published by Meduza.
According to official reports, the organization pointed out a similar incident in 2007 when a tanker collided in the same region, releasing 1,600 metric tons (around 1,764 U.S. tons) of fuel oil into the sea. The spill polluted dozens of kilometers of coastline, causing extensive harm to marine and coastal ecosystems. Heavy petroleum fractions sank to the seabed, disrupting the food chain by destroying organisms essential to fish. At the same time, oil spread across the surface, leading to the deaths of numerous waterfowl, as reported by Meduza.
"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," the Krymski Wiatr portal reported, basing this on wind direction forecasts for the coming days.
