The consequences of the oil spill that occurred after the tanker crash in the Black Sea on December 15 may be more serious than those of a similar accident that occurred in 2007. This is according to Elena Tikhonova, Candidate of Biological Sciences and head of the chemoecology laboratory at the Federal Research Center "Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas." Previously, she headed the expedition of this institute to the Kerch Strait.
In November 2007, a six-point storm raged in the Kerch Strait and the Black Sea. As a result, 13 ships were damaged, including four, including a Volgoneft-type tanker, sank. About 3 thousand tons of fuel oil and 6.8 thousand tons of sulfur ended up in the sea.
My colleagues and I also worked in the Kerch Strait area in 2007, after the crash of Volgoneft-139. According to our calculations, the spill is now larger; we preliminarily estimate that a larger amount of oil products entered the water. And according to preliminary reports, a larger amount [of oil products has spilled].
She noted that her team took samples on both banks of the Kerch Strait, as well as in the Krasnodar Territory, where fuel oil has already arrived. The results of the research will be known in a few days.
The accident involving the tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 occurred on December 15. As a result of the incident, one person died, and the rest were evacuated.
The captains of the two tankers Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, which crashed in the Kerch Strait, have been charged. This was reported by the Investigative Committee of Russia. The investigation is being conducted under an article on violation of safety rules for traffic and operation of maritime transport.
According to emergency services, there were about 9.2 thousand tons of fuel oil on board the tankers. The volume of the spill was approximately 3 thousand tons. More than a thousand people and more than a hundred pieces of equipment are involved in eliminating the consequences of the emergency.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that in Anapa and Temryuk district of the Krasnodar Territory, the cleaning of beaches from pollution continues, remaining after the tanker accident in the Kerch Strait. The pollution affected 49 kilometers of coastline. 4 thousand volunteers came to the aid of emergency services. Local residents note that on the shore you can find birds stained with fuel oil.
Experts expect that the pollution will be localized in the form of large spots that can be collected. This is facilitated by the cold water of the Black Sea, which slows down the spread of fuel oil.
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