A new environmental disaster threatens the Black Sea after two Russian oil tankers were seriously damaged, causing an oil spill. Over 8600 tonnes of oil are in danger of contaminating the aquatic ecosystem. Footage released by Russia’s Southern Transport Prosecutor’s Office shows the bow of one tanker completely broken, with streaks of oil visible in the water. Both tankers are believed to have drifted before running aground at sea. Authorities in Russia say at least one crew member has died.
The incident occurred in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, , the BBC reports. The rescue operation, involving tugboats, helicopters and more than 50 personnel, saw 13 crew members rescued from a single tanker before being halted due to bad weather.
The remaining 14 crew members on board the second tanker are said to have “everything they need for immediate life support” on board, but look set to be stranded until conditions improve.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered a task force to be set up to deal with the incident – headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Saveliev – and authorities are investigating for criminal negligence.
Michelle Bockman, an analyst at shipping magazine Lloyd’s List, tells the BBC that the two ships are owned by the Volgatanker company and are relatively small. According to Russian officials quoted by TASS news agency, they were carrying about 4,300 tons of oil each.
A tanker used for international trade in Russian crude typically has a much larger capacity of about 120,000 deadweight tons, Bockman said, meaning it is likely that these tankers were used to transport oil across Russian rivers or in coastal waters.
The Kerch Strait is a key export route for Russian grain and is also used to export crude oil, fuel oil and liquefied natural gas.
In 2007, another oil tanker, Volgoneft-139, split in half during a storm while anchored off the Kerch Strait, spilling more than 1,000 tonnes of oil.
Russian oil imports have been heavily sanctioned by Ukraine’s allies since the Kremlin ordered a full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
In recent years, Russia has been accused of using a so-called ghost fleet of tankers, which are often poorly maintained and lack proper insurance, to move oil and circumvent sanctions – though Bockman said it doesn’t appear the tankers involved in Sunday’s incident were part of that fleet.
