4,300 tons of fuel oil and possibly other petroleum products are now spilling into the waters of the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov after a storm hit two tankers. Both Russian tankers were carrying fuel for the Russian fleet, and their ship tracking systems had been down for 12 days (tracking data from October 1 shows that the shipping route starts in Volgograd and ends in the Kerch Strait).
“Any spill of oil or oil products in these waters could have serious consequences. The spill is likely to be driven by the prevailing winds and currents, which are currently moving north-eastwards, and in the current weather conditions, it will be challenging to contain. If the pollution washes ashore it will cause coastal contamination which will be extremely difficult to clean up. The environmental impact will depend on the type of oil spill. Heavy residual oils such as fuel oil tend to have a more noticeable impact, including on marine fauna. Given the potential for such a significant environmental impact, the main focus should be on trying to minimise further spillage. If ships sink, there is the potential for a long-term release of oil and oil products,” says Dr Paul Johnston, Head of Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter in the UK.
The region has already suffered from severe weather conditions, which led to the spill of 1,200 tons of fuel oil from a Russian tanker in 2007 near the Tuzla Peninsula. This led to serious damage that was still visible a year after the accident.
While Russian officials are unlikely to take steps to reduce environmental impact, we will continue to monitor the situation.
Greenpeace
