Oil from a Russian tanker that broke in two last weekend has reached the Russian Black Sea coast. The oil is being driven by winds towards the coast in the Krasnodar region, affecting nearly fifty kilometers.
The 136-meter tanker split during a storm, leaking oil in the Kerch Strait between Russia and the occupied Crimea. One crew member was reported dead, and another tanker was damaged, also spilling oil.
Russian authorities have declared a state of emergency in parts of the region. The total oil spilled is unclear, but the tankers were carrying about 9,000 tons.
No oil has been reported on Crimea, which is occupied by Russia. Thousands of volunteers and emergency services are assisting with cleanup; about 80 tons of oil have been removed from the beach, according to Germany’s Tagesschau.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Environment warned of a “large-scale environmental disaster in the Black Sea.” In 2007, a similar incident in the Kerch Strait resulted in a decade-long cleanup. Social media shows oil-covered beaches and birds.
The tankers, built in the mid-1980s and intended for river transport, have not been confirmed as sunk, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.
Source: NOS