In December, two tankers wrecked off the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea, which was annexed by Russia. Now oil is coming out again. Kremlin leader Putin wants to have the ships raised. Ukraine accuses Russia of failing.
Almost four weeks after the accident of two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, oil has leaked again from one of the wrecks. During an inspection of the “Volgoneft-239”, specialists discovered an oil slick measuring around 2,800 square meters on the bank, the Russian Ministry of Transport said.
The ship is aground off the Taman peninsula, which lies on the Kerch Strait opposite Ukrainian Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in violation of international law. Taman belongs to the southern Russian region of Krasnodar. The Russian tankers Volgoneft-239 and Volgoneft-212 were carrying a total of 9,200 tons of oil when they were badly damaged in a storm in the Kerch Strait in mid-December.
The oil tankers crashed in the Kerch Strait.
The “Volgoneft-212” sank, the “Volgoneft-239” ran aground and broke up. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, around 2,400 tons of heavy oil have leaked from both tankers so far.
Putin wants to raise wreckage
Photos released by Russia showed black oil seeping onto the beach again. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the tankers to be raised in view of the spreading oil spill. The Kremlin chief admitted that there were many problems in resolving the oil spill: technical, financial and ecological. Everything must be done to prevent further leakage of heavy oil from the wrecks.
Plans to raise the sunken tankers should be drawn up now, the Russian president said during a government meeting. The financing and training of the relevant specialists must be ensured. It is “one of the biggest ecological challenges” for Russia in recent years.
Ukraine accuses Russia of failing
Thousands of people, including many volunteers, are involved in cleaning the beaches of Crimea and the southern Russian Black Sea coast. According to Russian information, more than 147,000 tons of oil-contaminated sand and soil have been removed from beaches since the accident. Hundreds of birds and dozens of sea creatures have already died. Environmentalists believe it is possible that pollution in the sea may continue for years because the oil forms clumps and sinks.
Ukraine accused Russia of failing to contain the oil spill. A spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spoke of “international irresponsibility” on the part of Russia. Moscow is trying to “cover up the terrible consequences for the environment” and is thereby endangering the entire Black Sea region. A week ago, the oil spill reached the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, which is 250 kilometers from the site of the accident.
