Volgoneft disaster: Fears of Black Sea ecological crisis
The Russian agency TASS, citing the Marine Rescue Service, reports that another Volgoneft tanker in the Kerch Strait area sent an S.O.S signal on Monday and Tuesday. The vessel was carrying 4,000 tonnes of mazut.
According to the Baza channel, the Volgoneft 109 tanker was near the port of Caucasus, not far from where two similar ships had an accident on Sunday, 15th December. The captain reported a breach in the fourth cargo tank, causing mazut to leak into the ballast tank. Preliminary information indicates that the ship's hull remains intact, and no fuel is leaking into the water.
There are 14 crew members aboard, and their lives are not in danger. The tanker captain refused to evacuate the crew, requesting only a change of anchorage. Volgoneft 109 was moved to the Kuchugury area.
Ecological disaster in the Black Sea
Let's recall that on Sunday, 15th December, during a storm in the Kerch Strait, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 tankers were involved in a disaster. The resulting mazut spill, according to Greenpeace experts, could result in the largest ecological disaster in the history of the Black Sea. Preliminary data indicates that over 4,200 cubic metres of petroleum products might have spilled into the sea (the two ships together carried over 9,000 cubic metres of fuel).
The Volgoneft 212 disaster resulted in one fatality, and 11 crew members were hospitalized. The entire crew of Volgoneft 239 (14 people) was evacuated, but the vessel ran aground.
Ecological impacts and state of emergency
On Tuesday, Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of Krasnodar Krai, informed that "oil products were washed ashore over a stretch of several dozen kilometres." A state of emergency was declared locally in the Temryuk and Anapa regions.
Causes of the disaster in the Kerch Strait
Journalists from Izvestia determined that both tankers, which had an accident during the storm, should not have been at sea due to their poor technical condition. They exceeded their maximum operating period by 10–15 years. Furthermore, Volgoneft 239 lacked the required documentation. The design of these ships does not allow for their use during storms, which further contributed to the tragic events.
