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2024 Kerch Strait oil spill
Early in the morning of 15 December 2024, two Russian Project 1577 river-sea oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, were caught in a storm just south of the Kerch Strait. Volgoneft-212, which was reportedly carrying about 4,300 tonnes of mazut, broke in two and sank, resulting in an oil spill and the death of one crew member. Volgoneft-239 was damaged, causing her to drift for several hours until she ran aground near the Port of Taman, Krasnodar Krai. She, too, began leaking oil. Both ships still had some of their cargo intact and the oil leak on Volgoneft-239 was stopped by the next day, with initial estimates stating that about 3,700 tonnes of oil was spilled. Reports of puddles of oil making landfall between the Crimean Bridge and the town of Anapa began on 17 December, with about 37 miles (60 kilometres) of coastline becoming polluted. As a result, a state of emergency was declared in the Anapsky and Temryuksky Districts that day. Separate criminal cases were opened by Russia into both ships for potential maritime safety breaches, though the case for Volgoneft-212 had an additional charge for negligent homicide. BackgroundVolgoneft-212 was built in 1969, was 136 metres in length and was registered in Saint Petersburg. She was owned and managed by KamaTransOil and Kama Shipping, both of which are based in Perm, Russia. They acquired the ship in 2014[1][2][3] and have a licence to transport dangerous cargo by inland waterways and sea indefinitely, which was issued in 2016. Kama Shipping was fined ₽400,000 ($6,406) in 2019 for, between 1 May and 23 July that year, transporting dangerous cargo by sea without a special permit.[1] Volgoneft-239 was built in 1973, is 132 metres in length and was registered in Astrakhan and has been owned and operated by Volgotransneft since 2010. Both tankers have a maximum loading capacity of about 4,200 tonnes.[1][2][3][4] Mash reported that both ships were reclassified some time in the 1990s from purely riverine traffic to river and maritime use.[5] Volgoneft-212 was refitted in 2024, with The Guardian reporting that in this refit "the centre was cut out and the stern and bow were welded together, forming a huge seam in the middle. It is this section that appears to have broken."[2] Both tankers were reportedly owned by Volgotanker, a company based in Samara which transports oil products in Russia's inland waterways and along the coast of the Black Sea. Almost all of their ships were built between 1966 and 1990 with a capacity of between 4,000 and 5,000 deadweight tonnage.[6] iStories reported that, in the months prior to the incident, both ships had been shuttling between Port Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait and oil refinery terminals on the Volga River.[3] Izvestia reported that both tankers should have been decommissioned 10–15 years prior to the incident as they have a service life of between 30–40 years. Both were tested for their suitability for transporting dangerous cargo in July 2024. Volgoneft-239 had had its licence suspended and thus should not have been at sea.[1] Kerch StraitThe Kerch Strait separates the Kerch Peninsula in Crimea and the Taman Peninsula in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Several ships have been either damaged or sunk in storms in or near the Kerch Strait. Volgoneft-139 was carrying 4,800 tonnes of fuel oil when she anchored in the Kerch Strait in a storm in November 2007.[7][8] She split in two, spilling from 1,300 to 1,600 tonnes of oil, resulting in "tens of kilometres" of pollution on both sides of the Kerch Strait.[7][8][9] 13 crew members were rescued, and four other ships sank in the storm.[7][10] On 19 April 2017, the Panamanian-registered 3,500 tonne bulk carrier Geroi Arsenala split in two and sank about 19 nautical miles (35 km) south of the Taman Peninsula between the Port of Azov in Rostov Oblast and Turkey while carrying grain in a storm. One crew member was rescued, while a further two were later found dead; nine were missing.[11][12] In November 2023, the Strait was closed due to severe stormy weather as a measure to prevent damage to ships. Despite this, during the closure, two ships, Matros Shevchenko and Matros Pozynich, stopped close to each other in the Strait. The pair collided at low speed, drifting into an anchored ship, Kavkaz-5.[13] Ecological issues in the Black Sea and the Sea of AzovThe Black Sea and the Sea of Azov have faced numerous issues since the 20th century including the polluting effects of the aforementioned incidents and from nearby ports and rivers; the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, with ships being sunk, underwater explosions and Russia using protected lands as training grounds or extraction sites for materials; overfishing; invasive species; and climate change. These issues have caused changes to the local ecosystems and caused some species to disappear.[14] Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine however, these negative effects were greatly exacerbated. There has been a rapid die-off of dolphins, porpoises and other cetaceans, with cases of live animals washing up on shore also increasing. The highest rate of cases is around Crimea, particularly near to Sevastopol, where several Russian bases reside. In early 2022, Russian warships began blockading Ukrainian ports. The release of ballast water by the warships is not monitored, allowing pollutants and invasive species from other areas to enter the environment. Sunken warships also caused several oil spills, with the spills extending tens of thousands of square kilometres, including into protected waters, with oil polymerization in the water causing mass bird deaths.[14] Fires from military activities have also damaged several national parks. As an example, a total of 131 fires were recorded on the Kinburn Peninsula, a protected area for marine and coastal colonies, in 2022, destroying over 5,000 hectares of the park and the nesting places of about 100 bird species.[14] Following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June 2023, several protected areas were flooded, with freshwater polluted by fuels, lubricants, fertilizers and wastewater from settlements and fields entering the Black Sea. In the days that followed, rapid desalination of sea water from 14 to 4ppm was discovered in the waters near Odesa, Ukraine. In some coastal areas, researchers noted acute toxicity in the water, with nitrogen concentrations drastically rising, an indicator of direct sewage pollution. Polluted water was also found in the Danube River.[14] About 30,000 animals were killed as a result, with species such as the squacco heron and the little egret disappearing.[15] Despite this, in the years preceding 2023, researchers noticed indicators that some ecosystems had begun gradually recovering. Although it is currently impossible to assess the impacts on the Sea of Azov, researchers were able to have limited access to the Black Sea. What they discovered is that, due to tourist travel being banned in the north western Black Sea due to mining and a lessening in commercial ships and fishing, there had been a lessening of pressure on ecosystems. Several species considered rare had also become more common with the lack of tourism.[14] Incident Early in the morning of 15 December 2024,[16] Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 were heading south out of the Kerch Strait, entering the more open waters of the Black Sea.[17] Volgoneft-212 had 13 crew on board,[2][5] while Volgoneft-239 had 14 crew on board;[4] both ships were carrying mazut, a low grade heavy fuel oil used in various applications across the former Soviet Union and Iran,[18][19] which they were transporting for the Russian Navy.[20] On 10 November, Volgoneft-212 left the Port of Saratov and was heading to Port Kavkaz with 4,300 tonnes, while Volgoneft-239 was carrying about 4,200 tonnes from the Port of Azov.[1][21][22] According to a man from the Russian Professional Union of Seafarers, Igor Kovalchuk, the maximum wave height for Volgoneft-212 was 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in), and the maximum for Volgoneft-239 was 2 metres (6 ft 7 in).[1] Both were rated for wind speeds of up to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h).[17] There are differing reports as to the conditions the ships faced. According to unnamed Russian officials in Crimea on the day of the incident, the storm reached up to a seven on the Beaufort scale, with wind speeds up to 32 to 38 miles per hour (51 to 61 km/h).[3] According to meteorologists at the Crimean State Hydrometeorological Service, wind speeds of about 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) were expected.[1] Similarly, according to a Television News Service report on the day of the incident, waves reached a height of 3.5 metres (11 ft), with wind speeds of about 53 miles per hour (85 km/h).[17] One of the crew members of Volgoneft-212, Alexander Marchenko, told Izvestia that he did not find any issues with the ship on his morning rounds, but remarked that there had been strong waves. Later that day, an alarm was sounded, with the ship splitting in two about 5 miles (8.0 km) from shore after it was hit by a large wave.[1][2][17] Its bow sank and one crew member died of hypothermia,[4][23] with the majority of its cargo being spilled.[17] Soon after Volgoneft-212 was damaged, Volgoneft-239 sustained damage and lost power, drifting for several hours[2][17] until she ran aground about 80 metres (260 ft) from shore near the Port of Taman.[3][6] Two rescue tugboats were sent from Kerch, while two Mil Mi-8 helicopters and over 50 people were deployed to assist in the rescue efforts.[4][24] The rescue efforts were complicated due to the darkness and the storm,[25] though the remaining crew members of Volgoneft-212 were rescued,[5] at least eight of which had to be rescued from the water. 11 crew members were hospitalised, two of which were treated for hypothermia.[4][6] Efforts to rescue the crew of Volgoneft-239 were temporarily suspended due to inclement weather, with the ship having all necessary means to ensure the safety of the crew, though rescuers maintained contact with the ship.[26] Rescue efforts were resumed the following day, rescuing the entire crew.[18] Nearby incidentsVolgoneft-109, which was built in 1973 with a capacity of 4,700 summer deadweight,[27] was carrying about 4,000 tonnes of mazut and was anchored near Port Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait when she broadcast a distress signal early on 17 December. The captain reported an internal crack in a cargo tank which was leaking its cargo into a ballast tank.[28][29] The crew remained aboard and was assisted by a salvage vessel,[29] with a spokesperson from the Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport stating that "The water tightness of the hull itself is not compromised, there is no leakage into the sea."[28] Aftermath President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to create a group to coordinate the rescue efforts and attempt to lessen the ecological effects of the oil spill after meeting with the ministers of Emergency Situations and Natural Resources and Environment, Aleksandr Kurenkov and Alexander Kozlov respectively.[4] He further appointed Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev to head a task force aimed at mitigating the damage to the environment.[3] Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor, arrived on 16 December,[1][4] stating that specialists were assessing the site,[4] with teams from the Marine Rescue Service and the Ministry of Emergency Situations being dispatched to attempt to mitigate the environmental effects.[3] The Federal Agency for Fishery stated that "After the weather normalizes and disaster relief efforts are completed, an assessment of the damage to marine life will be given."[23] It was discovered that Vologneft-239 had also began spilling oil, though some of the fuel containers on both ships were still intact. The oil from the ships began drifting towards the coast north west of the Port of Taman, Krasnodar Krai, between the Tuzla Spit and Cape Panagiya,[18][22] though as of that afternoon it had not reached the shoreline.[30] It was believed that about 3,700 tonnes of oil had been spilled.[17][30][31] Reports of patches of oil building up on the coastline began on 17 December, with about 37 miles (60 km) of coastline between the Crimean Bridge and Anapa, Anapsky District becoming polluted.[8][32] A state of emergency was later declared in both the Anapsky and Temryuksky Districts.[28][33] Oil accumulated on the shore between the villages of Veselovka, Blagoveshchenskaya, and Vityazevo.[34] This stretch of coast is a narrow coastal spit, which separates a set of saltwater lagoons from the Black Sea. There were also reports of birds covered in oil, either dead or struggling to fly on the shoreline; while one such report was from Volna, a short distance east of the Port of Taman, another two were from a beach near Anapa and Vityazevo, about 30 miles (48 km) to the southeast.[35][36] Kondratyev also said "There are currently 267 people working on site from emergency services, with 50 units of equipment involved. If necessary, we will increase the number of forces and resources,"[32] though other estimates placed the number at 500 volunteers.[33] According to satellite imagery, Volgoneft-239 was still aground and was slowly breaking apart as of 17 December.[17] About 80 tonnes of oil was recovered by 18 December,[37] with the number of volunteers rising to about 4,000[38][37] alongside about 1,500 rescue workers and officials by 19 December.[39] Sergey Stranichny, a senior marine scientist, stated that satellite monitoring up to 18 December had shown that the cargo of Volgoneft-212 was still leaking, noting that strong winds were spreading it to the east.[40] Clean-up efforts were hindered by the ongoing storm.[41] 80 miles (130 km) of coastline had been surveyed by the following day, with over 860 tons of contaminated soil being removed from Krasnodar Krai that afternoon using 184 pieces of heavy machinery.[39] By 22 December, more than 12,000 tons of contaminated soil had been removed along 21 miles (34 km) of coastline.[42] Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, scientific head of the Water Problems Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and ex-minister for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, later stated in a press conference that "There are no bulldozers there, no trucks. Practically no heavy machinery." and that the volunteers have "shovels and useless plastic bags that rip apart [...] While the bags wait to finally be collected, storms arrive and they end up back in the sea. It’s unthinkable!"[43] Grigory Prokopov, a research associate at the Center for Freshwater and Brackish-Water Hydrobiology, stated that between 2,000–5,000 birds could be affected by the incident, including migratory birds in the area. Vladimir Romanov, Director of the Russian Ornithological Society, stated that up to 10,000 birds could become affected, and that pollution could kill up to and greater than half. A rescue centre was opened in Vityazevo, with volunteers working to remove oil from affected birds and veterinarians deciding whether they should be released or moved elsewhere. Dmitry Glazov, a research associate at the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, stated that the incident affected a "critical area" for dolphins in the Black Sea, believing that it could "impact the ecosystem for at least another 10 years, if not longer."[39] At least 11 dolphins were found dead after their airways were clogged by oil fuel.[42] Delfa Dolphin Rescue and Research Centre reported that, on 22 December, some of the bags used to collect sand polluted by oil were swept by the water into the Black Sea after they were left on the shore.[44] The following day, it was reported by Kozlov that up to 200,000 tonnes of sand may have been polluted.[43] A region-wide state of emergency was declared in Krasnodar Krai on 25 December due to the scale of the oil spill.[45] According to Kondratyev that day, almost 30,000 tonnes of polluted materials had been collected.[43] By at least the following day, patches of oil were found on the southern coast of Crimea;[46] a federal state of emergency was declared by President Putin, allowing for further resources to be provided by the government.[46][47] InvestigationSeparate criminal cases were opened by the Investigative Committee (IC) for each ship.[1][4] Both were initially opened due to potential breaches of maritime safety regulations, though the case involving Volgoneft-212 was later expanded to include charges relating to negligent homicide due to the death of a crew member.[4][25] At a press conference, President Vladimir Putin said "Law enforcement bodies will give an assessment of the actions of the ships’ captains. I was informed that the captains violated regulations by not taking shelter in time. Some ships did take shelter, and they are fine. And these ones did not. Moreover, they anchored where they shouldn’t have."[48] On 18 December both captains were charged;[49] the following day, the captain of Volgoneft-212 was placed under investigative custody for two months,[50] while the captain of Volgoneft-239 was placed under house arrest for two months on suspicion of breaching maritime safety regulations.[51][52] According to Dmitry Zatsarinsky, a lawyer in Russia, the investigation could last between several months and more than a year, with the potential for sentencing being up to five years imprisonment or correctional labour for violating maritime safety regulations.[1] ReactionsNatalia Gozak, Director of Greenpeace's Ukrainian office, compared the incident to the November 2007 spillage including Volgoneft-139, telling Sky News "We are monitoring the situation, and it's not good in terms of environmental consequences." She stated that the Volgoneft-139 incident negatively effected the biodiversity and marine life in the area for years, and that "we can expect a similar impact for years to come. What we have seen from the previous event was that even after one year the levels of pollution stayed really high, with traces observed years and years later. [...] Considering a storm is involved, and the ships are reported to have been carrying thousands of tonnes of oil, I think a new environmental catastrophe is on its way."[9] Dmytro Pletenchuk, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, said "These are quite old Russian tankers. You can’t go to sea in such a storm. The Russians violated the operating rules. The result is an accident."[2] Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, called the Russian shadow fleet "hopelessly outdated", saying that they often "have fictitious insurance policies, conceal their true owners, and often overload oil at sea." and that further incidents are "statistically inevitable". He called for "the most stringent sanctions against shadow fleet vessels and their associated persons," that Russian ships be banned from territorial and international waters and that they be forced to use protection and indemnity insurance coverage. On 16 December, the European Union adopted sanctions against, among other entities, 52 ships from the Russian shadow fleet, bringing the total of sanctioned ships to 79.[53] References
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