Ecological disaster feared as Russian oil tanker sinks in Black Sea

A huge oil spill is feared in the Black Sea after two Russian oil tankers ran aground off the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea in stormy weather on Saturday, one of which subsequently sank, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday.

The two vessels, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, which were carrying 4,300 and 4,000 tons of oil respectively, both sustained serious damage after being run aground in high winds earlier on Saturday, according to Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry.

A video shared by the Crimean Wind Telegram channel appeared to show the Volgoneft 212, which subsequently sank, being broken in two by strong waves. At least one member of the combined 29-man crew of the two tankers is known to have died, while several others remain missing. 

An emergency response operation was launched to save the overboard crew members, TASS reported, adding that 11 sailors who had been pulled from the water had been hospitalised in the Russian city of Anapa, two of whom it said were in a serious condition.

As rescue efforts began, “a huge black spot” appeared in the water around the vessels, according to Telegram channel Mash, though a source involved in the rescue effort told Interfax that there was still “no exact information” on the volume of oil products that had spilled into the water.

Two separate criminal cases have already been opened into the violation of maritime transport safety rules, according to TASS.

Paul Johnson of Greenpeace warned that the sinking of the two oil tankers, which were both over 50 years old, threatened to cause “one of the largest man-made disasters in Black Sea waters”.

“In the current weather conditions, the spill will be very difficult to localise. If the raw material is carried ashore, it will lead to the contamination of the coastline, which will be very difficult to clean up,” Johnson said. “Given the potential serious environmental consequences, once the crew have been rescued, the focus should be on minimising further spillage if possible,” he added.