Greenpeace warns of ecological disaster due to oil spills from Russian tankers
Greenpeace Ukraine has warned that Russia's militarisation of the Black and Azov Seas threatens to unleash a new environmental catastrophe.
Source: Greenpeace Ukraine
Details: The organisation reported that 4,300 tonnes of fuel oil and possibly other petroleum products are spilling into the waters of the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black and Azov Seas, as a result of an accident involving two Russian tankers caught in a storm.
Both tankers were carrying fuel for the Russian navy, and their location tracking systems had been switched off for 12 days. Greenpeace noted that tracking data from 1 October shows the delivery route starting in the Russian city of Volgograd and ending in the Kerch Strait.
Paul Johnston, head of Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter in the UK, emphasised that the potential consequences of any oil spill in the area could be severe.
Quote from Johnston: "Any oil or petrochemical spill in these waters has the potential to be serious. It is likely to be driven by prevailing wind and currents (moving now to the North-East) and in the current weather conditions is likely to be extremely difficult to contain. If it is driven ashore, then it will cause fouling of the shoreline which will be extremely difficult to clean up. Any environmental impact will depend on the type of oil spilled. Heavy residual fuel oils will tend to cause more visible damage than refined fractions and marine gas oil which will tend to disperse and break up quite rapidly.
Given the potential for significant environmental impacts the focus should, after rescuing crew, be to try and minimize any further spillage if possible. If the ships sink, then there is the potential for releases of oil and petrochemicals over a longer time span."
More details: Greenpeace recalled that this region has already suffered from severe weather events, such as a 2007 spill near Tuzla Island when 1,200 tonnes of fuel oil leaked from a Russian tanker, causing serious damage that persisted for over a year.
Quote from Greenpeace: "While Russian officials are unlikely to take action to mitigate the environmental impact, we will continue monitoring the situation."
The Telegram channel Baza has reported that 13 sailors were rescued from the Volgoneft 212 tanker.
The captain of the Volgoneft 212 survived and is in intensive care along with another crew member. Baza reports that rescuers managed to save the entire crew of the vessel (13 people), with 11 of them hospitalised in the city of Anapa with frostbite.
Meanwhile, the rescue operation for the crew of the Volgoneft 239 tanker was halted due to poor weather conditions and nighttime darkness.
The vessel itself is firmly grounded on a sandbank and the crew is not in any danger. All 14 crew members are alive and well. The tanker has a functioning diesel generator, along with water and lighting on board.
Background: On the morning of 15 December, it was reported that two tankers, the Volgoneft 212 and the Volgoneft 239, were sinking in the Kerch Strait after being broken in half, causing fuel oil to spill into the water.
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