Russian tanker disaster threatens Black Sea ecosystem
Two Russian oil tankers malfunctioned near the Kerch Strait, with one breaking in half. The disaster could become "one of the largest man-made disasters in Black Sea waters," stated Paul Johnson of Greenpeace in a comment published by the Russian independent portal Meduza.
Two Russian oil tankers encountered malfunctions on Sunday in the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea, resulting in a spill of petroleum products.
The ship Volgoneft-212 broke in half. According to the Krymski Wiatr channel, the tanker was shortened in the 1990s to meet river-sea standards. The middle was cut out, and the stern was welded to the bow. "There was a welding seam in the middle of the ship that couldn't withstand the impact of the wave," the portal stated.
The probable cause of the incident was human error in challenging weather conditions. The tanker crews called for help, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported. As of now, one fatality has been reported, but four crew members are missing.
On Sunday evening, it was reported that the evacuation of sailors from the Volgoneft-239 tanker was suspended due to adverse weather. Fourteen people are still awaiting help. A helicopter cannot retrieve them due to strong winds. "The ship is stranded 80 metres 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 Kerch Strait incident could carry up to 5,000 metric tonnes of petroleum products.
Greenpeace warned through a statement by Meduza that a spill of this magnitude would rank among the most significant human-caused environmental disasters in the Black Sea.
The organisation recalled that 2007, another tanker crashed in the same location. "According to official data, 1,600 metric tonnes of fuel oil spilt into the sea. This incident led to the contamination of several dozen kilometres of shoreline and caused damage to flora and fauna: heavy fractions of petroleum products settled on the seabed, destroying organisms that fish feed on, and petroleum products covered the water's surface, resulting in the death of waterfowl," reported Meduza.
"Wind and waves will carry the fuel oil spilt from the tanker wrecks to the Russian coast. It seems that Crimea will not be affected," reported the Krymski Wiatr portal, based on wind direction forecasts for the coming days.
