<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/15/two-russian-tankers-sink-in-black-sea-spilling-oil>
"A Russian tanker carrying more than 4,000 tonnes of oil products has sunk in
the Black Sea amid stormy conditions while a second has run aground,
threatening an ecological disaster.
The cargo ship
Volgoneft-212 snapped in half on Sunday after being hit by a
large wave. Video showed its bow end sticking vertically out of the water. The
boat got into difficulties off the east coast of occupied Crimea, 5 miles (8km)
from the Kerch strait, Russian media reported.
Russian investigators opened two criminal cases to look into possible safety
violations 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 tonnes of low-grade heavy fuel oil, known as
mazut. Russia’s emergency service 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.
Shortly afterwards, another cargo transporter, the
Volgoneft-239, got into
difficulties in the same area. It was carrying 4 tonnes of fuel oil. Initial
reports also suggested the ship had sunk. “Another ship is going down. Holy
shit!” a sailor said, filming from a nearby boat.
However, the emergencies ministry said the 132-metre vessel, built in 1973, had
run aground 80 m from shore near the port of Taman at the south end of the
Kerch Strait.
The ministry later wrote on Telegram that efforts to evacuate the 14-member
crew had been suspended because of bad weather. The ministry said rescue teams
were in contact with the ship, which had all facilities on board necessary to
ensure the lives of the crew were not in danger.
Official statements did not provide details on the extent of the spill or why
the first tanker had sustained such serious damage.
President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to set up a working group to
deal with the rescue operation and mitigate the impact of the fuel spill, news
agencies cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying, after Putin met
with the ministers for emergencies and environment.
Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of recklessness. Dmytro Pletenchuk,
Ukraine’s navy spokesperson, said: “These are quite old Russian tankers. You
can’t 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 into the Black Sea,
would cause serious ecological damage to a marine environment already badly
affected by war."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
