Two new areas of oil product contamination found in Crimea after Russian tanker accidents
Illustrative photo: two new areas of oil contamination were discovered in Crimea (Getty Images)
In temporarily occupied Crimea, two new areas of oil product pollution have been identified following the accidents of two Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait. The pollution stretches 1.8 km and 2.1 km, according to Russia's Emergency Ministry.
“During the monitoring in the Kerch city district, in the area of the city beach (Arshyntsevskaya Spit), minor contamination of the sandy area with a length of 1.8 km was detected. In the Leninsky district near Tobechytske Lake, the total length of the contamination is 2.1 km,” the report says.
According to Russia's Emergency Ministry, around 150 people and 48 units of equipment have been involved in addressing the ecological disaster. Specialists are cleaning the area and removing contaminated soil.
Tanker accidents in the Black Sea
On December 15, two Russian tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, were damaged in the Kerch Strait due to a severe storm.
Just a few days later, another tanker accident occurred near the port of Kavkaz in the Black Sea, resulting in a fuel oil spill and coastline contamination in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
The tanker accidents in the Kerch Strait have caused significant environmental consequences, with oil reaching the Sea of Azov.
For more details on the tanker accidents near Crimea and potential threats to Ukraine, read the material by RBC-Ukraine.
