Two Russian oil tankers wrecked in Black Sea’s Kerch Strait

Officials in Russia said two Russian oil tankers were heavily damaged in the Black Sea, causing an oil leak.

In the images published by the Russian Southern Transport Prosecutor’s Office, it is seen that the bow of a tanker is completely broken and traces of oil can be seen in the water.

Both tankers are believed to have drifted before running aground offshore. At least one crew member was reported killed.

The incident took place in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from the Ukrainian peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014.

In the rescue operation involving tugboats, helicopters and more than 50 personnel, 13 crew members were rescued from a tanker before it was suspended due to bad weather conditions.

The remaining 14 crew members on the second tanker are also said to have “everything necessary for emergency life support” on board, but they appear likely to be stranded until conditions improve.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the establishment of a working group chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev to look into the incident, and authorities are investigating criminal negligence.

Michelle Bockmann, an analyst at shipping industry magazine Lloyd’s List, told the BBC that the two ships belonged to the Volgatanker company and were relatively small.

Each was carrying about 4,300 deadweight tonnes of oil, according to Russian officials quoted by the Tass news agency.

Bockmann said a tanker used for international trade of Russian crude generally has a much larger carrying capacity of about 120,000 deadweight tons; This means that these tankers were probably used to transport oil on Russia’s rivers or coastal waters.

The Kerch Strait is an important route for Russian grain exports and is also used to export crude oil, fuel oil and liquefied natural gas.

In 2007, another oil tanker – Volgoneft-139 – broke in half during a storm while anchored off the Kerch Strait, spilling more than 1,000 tons of oil.

Russian oil imports have been subject to heavy sanctions by Ukraine’s allies since the Kremlin ordered a full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

In recent years, Russia has been accused of using a fleet of stealth tankers, often poorly maintained and without adequate insurance, to transport oil and evade sanctions; However, Bockmann said the tankers involved in Sunday’s incident did not appear to be related to these ships. he is part of the fleet.

Additional reporting by Joshua Cheetham