Two Russian tankers carrying thousands of tons of petroleum products near the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea “broke in half,” the Ukrayinskaya Pravda website reported on Sunday, citing Russian Telegram channels. Earlier, it was reported that fuel oil, which was dangerous for the environment, was leaked into the sea.
According to the Russian Telegram channel Mash, cited by Ukrainska Pravda, 10 sailors were rescued from the decks of two vessels – Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239.
“13 people are still at sea; four who were in the hold at the time of the disaster have not been found. All four are mechanics who could have drowned immediately after the waves hit,” Mash reported.
Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239
The latest reports indicate that the accident was caused by a storm. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations previously reported that the probable cause of the incident was human error committed in difficult weather conditions.
The independent Russian website Meduza reported according to state agencies that the damaged tankers were vessels registered in the port of St. Petersburg. Channel Mash added that both carried approximately 4,000. tons of mazut, i.e. heavy fuel oil, which leaked onto the sea surface. It is an extremely dangerous substance for the environment.
Reuters and independent media emphasize that Volgonieft 212 and Volgoneft 239 are very old ships, built in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The Kerch Strait lies between the territory Russia and the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014. It connects the Sea of ​​Azov with the Black Sea.