Over the weekend, two Russian oil tankers sank in the Black Sea, sparking fears of a significant environmental catastrophe and leading Russian authorities to declare an “oil spill emergency.”
“This Sunday, the tankers Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 suffered damages due to a storm in the Black Sea region,” announced the Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport. “Each vessel had crew onboard, with 15 on one and 14 on the other. The damage has led to an oil spill emergency.”
Reports later indicated that initially one, and then the other tanker succumbed to the tumultuous conditions in the Kirch Strait, which links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov. Russian officials reported one casualty and noted that each ship carried approximately 4,300 tonnes of oil products. The exact quantity of oil spilled has yet to be determined.
Video footage from ships nearby showed parts of the unfolding disaster:
Sinking tankers
“Another ship is going down. Holy shit!” exclaimed a sailor from a nearby vessel as the incident was being recorded.
Paul Johnston, who leads the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter in the U.K., highlighted the severe potential impact of the incident.
“Any oil or petrochemical spill in these waters could be critical,” stated Johnston. “Given the current weather and the likely movement of the spill to the North-East due to prevailing winds and currents, containing it could be highly challenging. If the oil reaches the shores, it would severely contaminate the coastline, making the cleanup process extremely tough.”
Russian media have reported that the oil aboard at least one of the tankers was mazut, a thick, heavy oil used mainly for fuel in power stations and maritime transport.
“The environmental repercussions will vary depending on the type of oil that was spilled,” Johnston continued. “Heavier oils like residual fuel oils are more likely to be visibly damaging, whereas lighter oils and marine gas oil might disperse more quickly and break down.”
