Over 86,000 tons of contaminated soil were secured after the collision of two tankers in the Kerch Strait. The scale of the disaster is difficult to determine – according to preliminary estimates, up to 200,000 tons of sand and soil could have been contaminated.
Russian rescuers collected over 86,000. tons of oil-contaminated sand and soil on both sides of the Kerch Strait, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of ​​Azov, the Russian Ministry of Emergencies reported on Saturday. According to initial estimates, up to 200,000 tons of soil could have been contaminated.
The oil leak was caused by the disaster of two tankers on December 15, 2024. Both oil-carrying vessels, Volgonieft 212 and Volgonieft 239, were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The tankers sailed with cargo intended for the Russian Navy. Volgoneft 212 broke in half and sank, and Volgoneft 239 ran aground.
Serious consequences for the environment
More than 10,000 people were involved in removing the effects of the disaster. people. As a result of the leak – as reported by environmental protection organizations – dolphins, porpoises and seabirds died. Toxic ooze has reached many Black Sea beaches, including: in the Anapa resort. A state of emergency was declared in the city of Sevastopol in Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
The scale of the damage is difficult to determine. Russia's transport ministry said experts estimated about 2,400 tons of petroleum products had spilled into the sea, a smaller spill than initially expected. The rescue services reported in December that the tankers were carrying approx. 9.2 thousand. tons of mazut, of which – as it was initially thought – about 40 percent was spilled into the water.
Mazut is heavy fuel oil that becomes solid at a temperature of 25 degrees and does not float to the water surface, but settles to the bottom or remains suspended in the water.
Main photo source: Reuters