In Russia, the Black Sea coast is affected by the oil spill caused by the sinking of two oil tankers. 3,700 tonnes of fuel oil were reportedly spilled into the sea.
In Russia, more than 260 people were deployed to the seaside resort of Alnapa on the Black Sea coast to clean beaches affected by the oil spill, after the sinking of two oil tankers this Sunday near annexed Crimea.
The two ships ran aground during a storm in the Kerch Strait which separates Russia from the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula that it annexed in 2014. The first sank, while the second was badly damaged. One person died and 26 crew members evacuated, according to the government. The submerged ship is said to have spilled 3,700 tonnes of fuel oil, a poor quality heavy fuel oil, into the sea.
Last week, the European Union issued new sanctions against Russia and its “ghost fleet”mainly made up of old, uninsured tankers to circumvent Western restrictions.
Brussels and the international shipping industry have previously expressed concerns over Russia’s use of poorly maintained vessels due to the significant environmental and security threats they pose.
