Russia declared a federal emergency on Thursday (26) due to an oil spill caused by two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, the Emergencies Ministry said.
The tankers were hit by a storm on December 15th. One of them broke in half and the other ran aground.
The resulting spill covered sandy beaches in and around Anapa, a popular resort, causing serious problems for wildlife including seabirds, dolphins and porpoises. More than 10,000 people are working on the cleanup.
Understand the case
A Russian tanker carrying thousands of tons of petroleum products broke apart during a strong storm on Sunday (22), spilling oil into the Kerch Strait, a sea passage that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, while another tanker was also in a risky situation after suffering damage, Russian authorities said.
The vessels were on the sea route, between mainland Russia and Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, when they sent out distress signals.
Russian investigators opened two criminal cases to investigate possible safety violations after at least one person died when the 136-meter oil tanker Volgoneft 212, with 15 people on board, broke in half and its bow sank.
Images shown on state media showed waves crashing over the vessel’s deck.
The Russian-flagged ship, built in 1969, suffered damage and ran aground, authorities said.
An unverified video posted on Telegram showed darkened waters amid rough seas and a partially submerged oil tanker.
The second Russian-flagged ship, the 132-meter Volgoneft 239, was adrift after suffering damage, the Emergencies Ministry said. It has a crew of 14 and was built in 1973.
Ecological disaster
Four days after the accident, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the spill was an ecological disaster.
Dozens of volunteers came together to remove tons of oil from the Russian Black Sea coast.
At the seashore, volunteers filled white bags with oil and blackened sand, which were to be transported in trucks, while more viscous tar was washed away by the waves.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. I can’t even imagine. It seems to me that nature will be affected for many decades,” said one of the volunteers, a woman who identified herself only as Tatiana.
“Even when you remove the top layer of sand, when you step on it, it sinks, because there is still oil underneath the sand.”
Volunteers set up a rescue center for stricken seabirds such as cormorants, which flapped their wings in agony as oil was cleaned from their feathers and syringes were used to feed them. The head of the center, Evgeniy Vitishko, said about 500 birds were treated, but more than 30 died.
Essential route for Russia’s grain and oil exports
The Kerch Strait is a strategic route for Russian grain exports and is also used for exports of crude oil, fuel oil and liquefied natural gas.
In September, Ukraine accused Russia in an international court of violating maritime laws by trying to maintain exclusive control of the Kerch Strait, an accusation that Moscow rejects.
Emergency services said one person died when the first tanker sank and 12 others were evacuated. According to the TASS news agency, Alexei Kuznetsov, advisor to the Minister of Health, stated that 11 of these people were hospitalized, two in serious condition.
The Emergencies Ministry reported it was still in contact with the other tanker and its crew after the ship ran aground 80 meters offshore near the port of Taman at the southern end of the Kerch Strait.
The ministry later wrote on Telegram that efforts to evacuate the crew from the second ship, the Volganeft 239, had been suspended due to bad weather.
The ministry stated that rescue teams were in contact with the ship, which had all the necessary resources on board to guarantee the safety of the crew.
Both tankers have a carrying capacity of around 4,200 tons of petroleum products.
Official statements did not provide details about the extent of the spill or why one of the tankers suffered such severe damage.
President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to create a working group to handle the rescue operation and mitigate the impact of the fuel leak, according to news agencies citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov after Putin met with the emergencies and environment ministers.
Russia said more than 50 people and equipment, including Mi-8 helicopters and rescue tugs, were sent to the area.
This content was originally published in Russia declares federal emergency after oil spill in the Black Sea on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
