Two Russian oil tankers with 27 crew members aboard have been seriously damaged in the Black Sea, causing an oil spill, Russian authorities said.
Photos released by Russia’s Transport Prosecutor’s Office showed one of the tankers had capsized and sunk amid a strong storm, with traces of oil visible in the water.
At least one crew member is reported to have died. The second vessel is said to have drifted after being damaged and conflicting reports indicate that it may have crashed later.
The incident took place in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from Crimea – the Ukrainian peninsula illegally seized by Moscow in 2014.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of a task force, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev – and authorities are investigating criminal negligence.
It is said that rescue and clean-up operations involving tugboats, helicopters and more than 50 workers are still ongoing.
“Today, due to a storm in the Black Sea, two tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, sank,” said Russia’s federal sea and inland water transport agency, Rosmorrechflot, in a statement.
“There were 15 and 14 crew members on board. This accident led to the spill of oil products,” it continued.
Michelle Bockmann, an analyst at the shipping industry magazine Lloyd’s List, said the two ships belong to the Volgatanker company and carry about 3,500 tons of deadweight oil each.
The tanks are too small, Bockmann told the BBC. He said the tank used to sell Russian crude oil around the world has a capacity to carry about 120,000 deadweight tons.
He said the damaged tankers may have been used to transport oil in Russian rivers or coastal waters.
The full extent of the oil spill and the exact fate of both vessels are still unclear.
The Kerch Strait is the main route for Russian grain exports and is used for the export of crude oil, petroleum oil and liquefied natural gas.
In 2007, another oil tanker – Volgoneft-139 – broke apart during a storm while transiting the Kerch Strait, spilling more than 1,000 tons of oil.
Imports of Russian oil have been largely 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 so-called ghost ships, which are often poorly maintained and lack proper insurance, to move oil and evade sanctions – although Bockmann said it did not appear that these tankers were involved in Sunday’s incident. part of those ships.
Additional reporting by Joshua Cheetham
Source link