Russian tanker sinks in the Black Sea and spills 4,300 tons of oil | Russia

A Russian tanker carrying more than 4,000 tons of oil products has sunk in the Black Sea in stormy conditions, while another has run aground and threatens an ecological disaster.

The cargo ship Volgoneft-212 broke in the middle on Sunday after being hit by a large wave. Video showed it darting vertically out of the water. The boat got into difficulties off the east coast of occupied Crimea, 8 km from the Kerch Strait, This was reported by Russian media.

Russian investigators opened two criminal cases to look into possible safety breaches after at least one person was killed when the 136-metre tanker, which had 15 people on board, went down.

The tanker was carrying 4,300 tons of low-grade heavy fuel oil, known as mazut. Russia’s emergency services launched a rescue operation involving tugboats and a Mil Mi-8 helicopter. Twelve other people were evacuated, eleven of whom were taken to hospital, with two in a serious condition, the Tass news agency quoted Alexei Kuznetsov, an aide to the health minister, as saying.

Soon after, another freighter, Volgoneft-239, ran into difficulties in the same area. It carried 4 tons of fuel oil. Initial reports also suggested that the ship had sunk. “Another ship is going down. Holy shit!” said a sailor, filming from a nearby boat.

However, the Emergencies Ministry said the 132m vessel, built in 1973, had run aground 80m from the coast near the port of Taman at the southern end of the Kerch Strait.

The ministry later wrote on Telegram that efforts to evacuate the 14-man crew had been suspended due to bad weather. The ministry said rescue teams were in contact with the ship, which had all facilities on board necessary to ensure the crew’s lives were not in danger.

Official statements did not provide details on the extent of the spill or why the first tanker had sustained such severe damage.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to set up a working group to handle the rescue operation and mitigate the impact of the fuel spill, news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying after Putin met with the emergency and environment ministers.

Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of recklessness. Dmytro PletenchukUkraine’s navy spokesman, said: “These are quite old Russian tankers. You cannot go to sea in such a storm. The Russians violated the operating rules. The result is an accident.”

Commentators pointed out that the oil products, if spilled in the Black Sea, would cause serious ecological damage to a marine environment already badly affected by war.

Volgoneft-212 was 55 years old, registered in St. Petersburg and recently rebuilt. The middle was cut out and the stern and bow were welded together forming a giant seam in the middle. It is this section that appears to be broken.

Crew members watched as the helpless ship was wrecked. Video footage showed men standing on the bridge wearing orange life jackets. A black slick could be seen floating on the surface next to a parabolic upward arc. Waves crashed over the stricken hull.

The accident involving the wrecked Russian boats is the latest maritime disaster to occur near the coast of southern Ukraine. The Black Sea has been a zone of intense military conflict since the start of Vladimir Putin’s 2022 full-scale invasion of the country.

Ukraine has used naval drones and other missiles to sink some of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. It has been forced to leave the Crimean port of Sevastopol and move to the safer Russian port of Novorossiysk.

In June 2023, Russian troops blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam across the Dnipro River in occupied territory to thwart a Ukrainian military offensive. The explosion released 18 billion tons of water that was held upstream in a giant reservoir.

The flood waters swept away dozens of villages. Water contaminated with fuel, sewage and fertilizer flowed into the Black Sea. According to biologists, the pollution wiped out mussels and other molluscs, as well as fish and crustaceans.

Researchers have recorded a increase in deaths among dolphins and porpoises since the Kremlin’s widespread attack. About 1,000 whales were killed in 2022. Bottlenose and white-sided dolphin populations suffered.