Two Russian Oil Tankers Damaged in Black Sea, Causing Oil Spill
Two Russian oil tankers have been severely damaged in the Black Sea, resulting in an oil spill, according to authorities in Russia. Footage released by the Southern Transport Prosecutor’s Office shows the bow of one tanker completely broken off, with oil visible in the water. Both tankers are believed to have drifted before running aground offshore, with at least one crew member reportedly killed.
The incident occurred in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. A rescue operation involving tugboats, helicopters, and over 50 personnel rescued 13 crew members from one tanker and 14 from the second, before being suspended due to bad weather.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered a working group to be set up to deal with the incident, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev. Authorities are investigating for criminal negligence.
The two tankers, owned by Volgatanker, were carrying around 4,300 dead weight tonnes of oil each. Analyst Michelle Bockmann from Lloyd’s List noted that these tankers are relatively small and likely used for transporting oil through Russia’s rivers or coastal waters, rather than for international trade.
The Kerch Strait is a key route for exports of Russian grain and oil, and has been the site of previous oil spills. In 2007, another oil tanker, Volgoneft-139, split in half during a storm, spilling over 1,000 tonnes of oil.
Russia’s oil imports have been heavily sanctioned by allies of Ukraine since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. Russia has been accused of using a “ghost fleet” of tankers to move oil and circumvent sanctions, but Bockmann said it did not appear the tankers involved in Sunday’s incident were part of that fleet.
