The Russian authorities have declared a state of emergency at the federal level after the leak of oil into the Kerch Strait connecting the Black and Azov Seas, Russian agencies reported on Thursday, citing a statement from the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The leak led to an ecological disaster, and there is no necessary equipment to clean up contaminated areas.
The leak occurred on December 15 this year, when two Russian tankers were damaged during a storm. As a result of the accident, one thousand tons of fuel oil – heavy fuel oil – was leaked into the Black Sea. The regional authorities reported that oil polluted beaches over a length of over 55 kilometers, mainly in the area of the Anapa resort on the coast in the Krasnodar Krai.
The head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Aleksandr Kurenkov, stated that the decision to introduce state of emergency at the federal level, it will provide “the necessary financial assistance (…) from the fund of the Government of Russia” and will also enable the deployment of “forces of the federal executive authorities” to provide assistance. On Wednesday, Krasnodar Krai, which is part of the Russian Federation, introduced a regional state of emergency.
Russia introduced a state of emergency after fuel oil leaked into the Kerch StraitSergey Pivovarov / Reuters / Forum
Cleaning without the necessary equipment
According to Viktor Danilov-Danilan from the Russian Academy of Sciences, who was Minister of Environmental Protection in the 1990s, at least 200,000 tons of soil were contaminated. During Wednesday's press conference, the specialist warned that pollution would increase. “The fuel oil remains in the sea in quite large quantities. It will continue to be thrown onto the already cleaned shore. The area will have to be cleaned a second and third time. We need to prepare for this,” the scientist said, as quoted by the Moscow Times.
He also criticized the lack of necessary equipment and the reliance on volunteers. – There are no bulldozers, no trucks. Virtually no heavy equipment, he said. He also emphasized that “volunteers only have shovels and useless plastic bags that tear.”
As the Ministry of Emergency Affairs announced on Thursday, the coast is currently being monitored along a length of 220 kilometers. About 30,000 tons of contaminated sand were collected from the beaches, and about 5 square kilometers of the coastal strip were cleaned in the port of Anapa. Volunteers saved 1,154 sea birds, and over 10,000 people were involved in the rescue operation.
During his annual press conference last week Vladimir Putin blamed the tankers' captains for the disaster, claiming they had put to sea without permission.
Main photo source: Sergey Pivovarov / Reuters / Forum