In these hours, the ongoing environmental catastrophe in the Black Sea is taking on increasingly significant proportions. The sinking of two tankers – and a third could be damaged – is causing an oil spill in coastal areas. What do we know so far? The situation and the videos.
In recent hours, the situation in the Black Sea has caused serious concern. Last Sunday, two oil tankers were damaged by a storm in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. Subsequently, a third ship also sent a distress signal. The first ship, the Volgoneft 212, split in two on Sunday. The second, the Volgoneft 239, ran aground 80 meters from the shore, near the port of Taman, on the eastern side of the strait.
According to the TASS news agency, the ships, both more than 50 years old, were carrying a total of around 9,200 tonnes (62,000 barrels) of oil products. There are fears that one of the biggest environmental disasters to hit the region in recent years is occurring.
At the time of the accident, the two tankers were carrying between 8,000 and 9,000 tonnes of petroleum products. It is estimated that more than 3,000 tonnes may have flowed into the sea. Many videos posted online by locals show oil stains and birds trapped by oil along the coast near Anapa.
The sinking of two Russian tankers in the Black Sea
The accident of the two Russian tankers in the Black Sea is becoming more and more serious as the hours pass. According to the Reuters news agency, the spilled oil reaches “tens of kilometers” from the coastal areas of the Black Sea.
The agency added that a third ship was said to be in difficulty. The TASS news agency reported that the third tanker had issued a distress signal, but the hull would still be intact and in this case there would be no oil spill.
Currently, the extent of contamination is said to cover at least 60 kilometers, from the Crimean Bridge to Anapa in the Krasnodar region of Russia. Several cities have declared a state of emergency and the deaths of birds contaminated by fuel oil, a type of fuel transported by tankers, have already been confirmed.
“The accidents involving the two tankers in the Kerch Strait, which, according to several reports, are both over 50 years old, pose a serious threat to the environment,” said Natalia Gozak, director of Greenpeace's Ukraine office.
“Spilled fuel is already compromising the local ecosystem. This episode highlights a much larger problem: the activities of the Russian Ghost Fleet. Russia uses obsolete tankers to export crude oil and finance the war in Ukraine. It is imperative that these vessels be added to the EU sanctions list,” added Mr Gozak.
Obsolete and dangerous tankers
Greenpeace Germany had already published a report identifying the 192 most dangerous tankers in the so-called Russian “ghost” fleet. These tankers are obsolete, poorly insured and, in some cases, already reported in the past for technical defects and risky transfers of crude oil from one ship to another, reports the environmental organization Greenpeace in a press release.
The environmental organization also analyzed the possible consequences of an accident with these tankers off the German coast by simulating an oil spill using GPS buoys. The buoys equipped with transmitters were deployed along the routes followed by the tankers, and the data collected showed how an oil slick would spread along the German coast.
To explore further:
The Reuters agency note on the accident
Greenpeace report on Russian oil tankers –