the volume of polluted soil could reach 200,000 tonnes

Monday 23rd December 2024 09:16 AM

An oil spill was caused by the sinking of two oil tankers in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from the Ukrainian Crimea peninsula, annexed by Moscow.

Published on 23/12/2024 14:16

Updated on 23/12/2024 14:37

Reading time: 1min

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations released images of the oil spill that occurred on the coast near Anapa on December 17, 2024, on the Black Sea coast. (MINISTRY OF RUSSIAN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS)

Considerable damage. An oil spill, caused by the sinking of two oil tankers in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow, could pollute up to 200,000 tonnes of soil, announced the Minister of Natural Resources Russian, Alexandre Kozlov, Monday December 23.

On December 15, two Russian tankers, the Volgoneft-212 and the Volgoneft-239ran aground during a storm in the Kerch Strait. The ships were carrying 9,200 tonnes of fuel oil, around 40% of which may have spilled into the sea, according to Russian authorities. Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Thursday that it was a “ecological disaster”.

Black fuel oil was deposited on dozens of kilometers of beach in the Krasnodar region, in southwest Russia. The seaside resort of Anapa, popular with tourists, was particularly affected.