Two Russian tankers carrying thousands of tons of fuel encountered severe damage during stormy weather near the Black Sea over the weekend, resulting in an oil spill, as reported by Russian state media.
The Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 vessels were navigating the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and annexed Crimea when they faced distress on Sunday, with wind speeds in the area reaching up to 45 mph (70 kph).
Footage circulating on unofficial Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels depicted one of the ships snapped in two, with water overflowing the top deck as turbulent waves rocked the vessel. The bow of the ship was visibly broken off and barely above the waterline, with crew members wearing life jackets as captured by the camera.
While the exact location of the video remains unverified, Russian state media TASS confirmed that all crew members from both vessels were rescued, except for one casualty reported from the Volgoneft 212.
Emergency services disclosed that the tankers were transporting over 9,000 tons of oil, with a portion of it spilling into the Kerch Strait. Efforts were underway to contain and clean up the spill, as per TASS reports.
Greenpeace Ukraine expressed concerns over the potential severity of the oil spill, particularly due to the challenging weather conditions in the area, which could impede containment efforts. The nature of the spilled oil could also impact the extent of the damage, with heavy residual fuel oils posing greater risks, according to Paul Johnston, head of Greenpeace Research Laboratories.
This incident echoes a similar oil spill in November 2007 when adverse weather conditions caused five ships to sink in the Black Sea and the Azov Sea. During that event, the Volgoneft 139 split in two, releasing approximately 560,000 gallons (1,000 tons) of fuel oil into the waters.
