Two Russian oil tankers sustained severe damage during a storm in the Kerch Strait, resulting in an oil spill and prompting an emergency rescue operation, according to reports from Russian officials on Sunday.
One of the vessels reportedly sank following the incident.
The Volgoneft-212 tanker, carrying 13 crew members and a cargo of fuel oil, ran aground, with its bow torn off, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry, as cited by the Tass news agency. One crew member lost their life, but the remaining sailors were successfully rescued.
The second vessel, Volgoneft-239, also suffered damage and was left drifting with 14 crew members aboard. It eventually ran aground approximately 80 meters from the shoreline near Taman port in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Authorities have announced plans for a rescue operation.
Combined, the two tankers were transporting close to 9,000 tons of mazut, a heavy-grade fuel oil, according to Tass. Video footage shared online showed dark liquid spreading across the water’s surface.
Russian officials acknowledged the oil spill but stated that experts are still assessing the extent of the environmental damage.
The Kerch Strait, a critical shipping route connecting the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea, lies between Russia and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. It has been a point of tension since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. In 2016, Ukraine brought a case against Russia at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, accusing Moscow of attempting to seize control of the area. The strait was also temporarily closed by Russia in 2021.
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