Two Russian tankers are sinking near the Kerch strait off the coast of occupied Crimea following hull breaches caused by a severe storm, Russian media reported on 15 December.
According to Russia’s pro-Kremlin news agency Interfax, citing emergency services sources, the Volganeft-212 tanker, registered in St. Petersburg, first reported distress approximately eight kilometers from shore. The vessel was carrying about 4,300 tons of mazut, a cheap heavy fuel oil.
The Russian Telegram channel Shot reported around noon today that a second vessel, Volganeft-239, began sinking about an hour later.
“Strong waves have breached the vessels,” Shot reported, citing witnesses.
Wind gusts in the area were reportedly reaching up to 22 meters per second, following earlier storm warnings. The Kerch Strait experienced strong winds and a storm reaching up to 7 points on 15 December. A fuel spill has been reported at the site of the tanker incidents.
Later updates by Interfax indicate that the Volgoneft-212 vessel with 13 crew members, carrying approximately 4,300 tons of mazut, sustained damage during a storm in the Kerch Strait and ran aground. The second tanker, Volgoneft-239 with 14 crew members on board, has gone adrift, according to Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. Emergency services told Interfax that the crew of the Volgoneft-239 tanker was unharmed.
Interfax says that crew error in difficult weather conditions is being considered one of the main causes of the incidents involving the tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 in the Kerch Strait, according to maritime search and rescue services.
According to Interfax sources, preliminary reports indicate that the whereabouts of four individuals remain unknown following the damage to the tankers near the Kerch Strait. Meanwhile, the crew members of the grounded tanker in the Kerch Strait have been evacuated, with one confirmed fatality.
According to RBC Ukraine, this marks the second instance of a Kama Shipping company cargo vessel sinking due to hull breach, following an earlier incident with Volganeft-139, which sank within minutes after waves damaged its hull.
Follow-up:
Storm claims third Russian vessel near occupied Crimea as Greenpeace urges action over oil spill
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