VOLGONEFT-239

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Oil spill in Krasnodar Krai after tankers broke up

The stern section of the 'Volgoneft 239' was firmly stuck in the Kerch Strait on Dec 16 after the strong storm which led to the sinking of another tanker, the 'Volgoneft 212', both ships carrying about 9.200 tons of fuel oil. Oil products polluted the coast of Krasnodar Krai on a stretch of several dozen kilometers. Local residents report edbirds covered in fuel oil. The region's governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported that during the morning monitoring of the coastline, fuel oil stains were found washed up on the coast. The polluted area extended for tens of kilometers, from the village of Veselovka in the Temryuk district to the village of Blagoveshchenskaya near Anapa. Operational headquarters have been deployed in two municipalities. There were 267 specialists from the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the regional Kuban-SPAS unit, and volunteers working on the scene to help clean up the pollution. Currently, 50 units of equipment were involved, but the governor has promised to increase resources if necessary. The pollution wasd causing serious concern among environmentalists and rescue services. Natalya Sokolova, a member of the Government Commission on Biological and Chemical Safety, said that the fuel oil that spilled after the accidents would settle to the bottom. According to the her, it would be physically impossible to clean the soil from this contamination, and it will harm plankton and fish. The damage to the oil tanker itself can lead to the formation of an oil film on the water, which will block the flow of oxygen into the water and the release of carbon dioxide to the surface. About 3,700 tons of fuel oil spilled into the sea due to the emergency. A high alert regime has been introduced in four settlements of the Krasnodar Territory. The rescue operation has been completed with all 14 crew members of the' Volgoneft-239' having been delivered to shore, where they were to be interrogated regarding the circumstances of the shipwreck. The documents for the 'Volgoneft-239' had been suspended and the tanker should not have sailed to sea at all. Reports with photos anmd video: https://arbatmedia.kz/exo-moskvy/ekokatastrofa-v-krasnodarskom-krae-nefteprodukty-zagryaznili-pobereze-posle-kruseniya-tankerov-109 https://pablic.tvzvezda.ru/news/202412161827-tOkqi.html https://www.unian.net/ecology/krushenie-tankerov-rf-v-chernom-more-tonny-mazuta-pribilo-na-zhemchuzhinu-rossii-video-12855087.html https://top.postfactum.info/society/nefteprodukty-posle-krusheniya-tankerov-v-kerchenskom-prolive-vyneslo-na-bereg-v-krasnodarskom-krae-33142.html https://fishnews.ru/news/51537 https://crimea-news.com/society/2024/12/16/1544508.html

All crew members of Volgoneft 239 rescued

More than 340 rescuers and 61 units were involved in the SAR operation afte rthe sinking of the 'Volgoneft-212' and 'Volgoneft-239' on the afternoon of December 15. The Investigative Committee of Crimea opened two criminal cases (Article 263 and Part 2 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), one of which was reclassified as a more serious crime due to the death of a sailor of the 'Volgoneft 212'. He died from hypothermia and injuries. 11 crew members were hospitalized in the city hospital of Anapa, two of them were in serious condition. One of them was the captain, who swallowed water and fuel oil, received spinal contusions, frostbite, and was in intensive care. The tankers were transporting almost 9.200 tons of fuel oil. The fuel was drifting towards the coast in the area from Cape Panagia to the Tuzla Spit. Experts of the Southern Interregional Department of Rosprirodnadzor were taking measurements to clarify the scale of the oil spill and assess its consequences. All 14 crew members of the 'Volgoneft 239' that ran aground in the Kerch Strait after suffering storm damage, were safely evacuated to shore. The evacuation from the tanker had been suspended in the evening and was resumed on the morning of Dec 16. Both tankers had shuttled between the Kavkaz port in the Kerch Strait and oil refinery terminals along the Volga River. Over the past six months, the 'Volgoneft-212' was loaded with fuel oil twice at the Saratov Refinery. On one occasion, it transported heavy export-grade fuel oil from the Syzran Refinery. Greenpeace warned that the accident could become one of the largest environmental disasters in the Black Sea, with current conditions making it extremely challenging to contain the spill. Report with photo: https://gcaptain.com/oil-spills-into-kerch-strait-after-russian-tanker-breaks-apart-in-storm/?fbclid=IwY2xjawHMwUBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHaJVSqUZVC-mUB85o6NUiJouuZ4alZVD4_8QfKel4_fXrbD3ckW7buCuFA_aem_O1IIcfUstNWu_L4qOmxPtw

Two Russian tankers distressed off occupied Crimes

On Dec 15, 2024, two tankers, each loaded with 4300 tons oil, got in distress and ran aground off the Russian occupied Crimea peninsula neaf Taman, en route from the Krasnodar Krai region in stormy weather. The 'Volgoneft 212' had 13 crew members on board. Several of them jumped over board, one man was recovered dead. Two tugs and two helicopters were launched for an SAR operation. After the 'Volgoneft 212' broke in two at 1,30 p.m, it lost large amounts of oil. The bow sank short time later, the stern remained afloat for a while before it also went down. The ' Volgoneft 239' with 14 crew members on board ran aground 80 meters off Taman. Reports with video: https://www.crimea.kp.ru/daily/27673/5025207/ https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/12/15/storm-claims-third-russian-vessel-near-occupied-crimea-as-greenpeace-urges-action-over-oil-spill/