Widespread Oil Spill Following Sinking of Russian Tanker in the Black Sea

Russian officials have reported a widespread oil spill following the sinking of a Russian tanker in the Black Sea, with two other Russian tankers also encountering incidents during a recent storm in the region. Local officials in Krasnodar, Russia, announced on Tuesday, December 18, that a stretch of dozens of kilometers from the spill of the 'Volga Oil 212' tanker has reached the shores of the Black Sea. This old tanker was involved in an accident on December 16 due to a storm in the Kerch Strait, breaking in two at the ship's bow. The Kerch Strait connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, situated between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia occupied in 2014. Reports indicate that aside from the leaking tanker, another Russian tanker has run aground during the recent storm, and Reuters reported on Tuesday that a third Russian tanker has sent out an emergency distress signal. TASS news agency states that the third tanker has sent a distress signal, but its hull remains intact and there has been no oil spill. The second and third damaged tankers are named 'Volga Oil 109' and 'Volga Oil 239', and while the useful life of tankers is usually under 18 years, all three damaged Russian tankers are over 50 years old. Following the damage to the old Russian tankers during the storm, Ukraine accused Russia of violating navigation safety laws, stating that Russia has kept its old tankers in stormy seas without regard for potential risks. It is reported that the first two damaged tankers were carrying 62,000 barrels of petroleum products, and no report has yet been released regarding the cargo volume of the third tanker that sent the distress signal. Russia claims that one crew member of the first tanker has died, while 12 crew members survived. All 14 crew members of the second tanker have been rescued, and no report has been released regarding the third tanker. It is said that wave heights during the storm on December 16 reached three to four meters, a situation deemed dangerous for the mentioned old tankers. The Russian government and the operating companies of the three mentioned tankers have not explained why they did not move the tankers to safe areas despite being aware of the recent storm; however, similar environmental disasters in Russia have become a normal occurrence. Local residents have painted a horrifying picture of the coastline, referring to oil-soaked birds that cannot fly and oil-covered dogs wandering along the shore. Officials have declared a state of emergency in parts of the Black Sea, and local residents have complained about the foul smell of mazut in their living areas.