Russian Oil Spill Declared Ecological Disaster After Tanker Sinkings

Thousands of tons of fuel oil have polluted the Black Sea and Russian beaches following the sinking of two aging tankers, prompting a state of emergency in Crimea.

• Two Russian tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, sank during a storm on December 15 in the Kerch Strait, spilling approximately 40% of their 9,200-ton fuel oil cargo into the Black Sea.
• Russian authorities have described the situation as a 'critical ecological disaster,' with potential contamination of up to 200,000 tons of soil and 49 kilometers of polluted coastline.
• Thousands of volunteers are working to clean the beaches in the Krasnodar region, but experts warn their equipment is inadequate for the scale of the contamination.
• The aging tankers are part of Russia's 'shadow fleet,' used to bypass Western sanctions on oil exports, raising concerns over the environmental risks posed by these vessels.
• International calls for stricter regulations on Russian oil tankers continue to grow, as neighboring countries fear similar disasters in shared waters like the Baltic Sea.

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Sud Ouest Ouest-France L'Express