Kerch Strait spill claims 32 dolphins, raises environmental alarm
As a result of the fuel oil spill that occurred on 15 December after the collision of two tankers in the Kerch Strait, 32 dolphins died. Activists from the Delfa Dolphin Rescue Centre provided this information.
The Kerch Strait, located between Russia and Crimea, annexed by it, is a key shipping route connecting the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea.
Tragic consequences of the fuel oil spill
Since mid-December, a total of 61 dead dolphins have been found, but the condition of their remains indicates that 29 of them died before the fuel oil spill. In the summer of 2022, Ukrainian biologist Ivan Rusev estimated that in the first months of the Russian invasion, over 5,000 dolphins died in the Black Sea, accounting for 2% of the entire population of these mammals. Rusev explained that the sea washes up no more than 5% of dead animals on the shore, with the rest sinking to the bottom.
The Kerch Strait became a critical point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. In 2016, Ukraine sued Russia at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, accusing it of attempting to illegally take control of the area. In 2021, Russia closed the strait for several months. Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, called for additional sanctions on Russian tankers.
First sea and land contamination, now dolphin deaths
The ecological disaster in the Kerch Strait occurred in mid-December. Two Russian tankers split in half due to a storm, releasing thousands of tonnes of fuel oil. Greenpeace warns that Russia's militarisation of the region increases the risk of such incidents, and the current situation threatens severe coastal pollution.
The tanker incident contaminated approximately 220,000 tonnes of soil. Russian authorities report that around 40% of the cargo leaked into the sea, but NGOs suggest the scale may be larger.
Russian-controlled tankers are old, worn-out, and often faulty. This means that situations where they get damaged and pollute the environment may arise again. Western countries and organisations like Greenpeace are calling for increased scrutiny and sanctions on Russian maritime practices to prevent further disasters.
