A state of emergency has been declared in Russia’s Krasnodar region after a massive oil spill spread along the Black Sea coast. The disaster occurred on December 15, 2024, when two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, were caught in a storm in the Kerch Strait.
The Volgoneft-212 tanker split in half and sank, resulting in an oil spill and the death of one crew member. The Volgoneft-239 sustained damage and began drifting before running aground near the Port of Taman, Krasnodar Krai.
According to the region’s governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, the oil spill has continued unabated, with the discharge of petroleum products along the coasts of Anapa and the Temryuk district.
Kondratyev explained that scientists and experts had estimated that the majority of the fuel oil would settle on the seabed, allowing for easier collection. However, changing weather conditions have caused the oil products to surface, washing ashore onto the region’s beaches.
The incident has sparked concerns about the environmental impact, with Greenpeace warning that it could lead to “one of the largest environmental disasters in the Black Sea region”. The Russian Dolphin Rescue Center ‘Delpha’ has reported that at least 10 dolphins have died as a result of the spill.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to create a group to coordinate rescue efforts and mitigate the impact of the oil spill. Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev has been appointed to head a task force aimed at mitigating the damage to the environment.
Rescue efforts have been complicated due to the darkness and the storm, but the remaining crew members of Volgoneft-212 were rescued, with at least eight having to be rescued from the water. Eleven crew members were hospitalized, two of whom were treated for hypothermia.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of maritime transport in the region and the potential long-term environmental consequences of the oil spill.
