In mid-December, two tankers broke down and fuel oil leaked in the Kerch Strait. Russian authorities – quoted by “The Guardian” – reported that “up to 200,000 tons of soil could have been contaminated.”
– As a result of the oil leak, up to 200,000 tons of soil could have been contaminated – said Aleksandr Kozlov, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. Mazut is an oily liquid resulting from the distillation of low-grade crude oil.
Two Russian tankers – Volgonieft 212 and Volgonieft 239 – transporting approximately 9,000 tons of oil, failed due to the storm. Volgoneft 212 broke in half and sank, and Volgoneft 239 ran aground. According to Russian authorities, 40 percent of the ships' cargo leaked into the sea, but non-governmental organizations warn that the actual leak could have been much larger. The Ukrainian branch of Greenpeace noted that a similar disaster may also occur in the Baltic Sea, because – as the organization claims – Volgoneft tankers are part of the “shadow fleet” whose routes run through this water area. Russia formed this fleet to bypass sanctions and sell its raw materials illegally. Reuters and independent media reported that Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 are old ships, built in the late 1960s and early 1970s. According to official data, one person died and 11 were hospitalized as a result of the Volgoneft 212 rupture. The entire crew was evacuated from Volgoneft 239. The authorities initiated criminal proceedings regarding violations of safety rules and the operation of means of transport.