A Russian oil tanker spills 4,300 tons of crude oil when it splits in two off Crimea and one of the crew dies

A Russian tanker transported 4,300 tons of petroleum products broke in two during a strong storm on Sunday, spilling oil into the Kerch Strait, while another tanker was also in trouble after suffering damage, Russian officials said.

Russian investigators have opened two criminal cases to investigate possible security breaches after at least one person has died when the tanker Volgoneft 212136 meters long and with 15 people on board, has broken in two and its bow has sunk, according to images published by state media, with the waves covering its deck.

The Russian-flagged ship, built in 1969, was damaged and had run aground, officials have said.

“There was a spill of oil products,” Russia’s shipping agency Rosmorrechflot said.

In turn, a second Russian flag shipthe 132-meter Volgoneft 239 has been adrift after suffering damage, according to the emergencies ministry. It has a crew of 14 people and was built in 1973.

Both tankers have a carrying capacity of approximately 4,300 tons of petroleum products. Official statements have not provided details about the magnitude of the spill or why one of the tankers has suffered such serious damage.

An unverified video posted on Telegram It showed blackened water in a rough sea and a half-submerged oil tanker.

Putin’s statements

The president of Russia, Vladimir Putinhas ordered the government to establish a working group to address the rescue operation and mitigate the impact of the fuel spill, as reported by news agencies after Putin met with emergency and environment ministers. .

Additionally, the Kremlin has asserted that more than 50 people and equipment, including Mi-8 helicopters and rescue tugs, have been deployed in the area.

The head of Russia’s natural resources agency RosprirodnadzorSvetlana Radionova said that specialists are assessing the damage at the scene of the incident.

The ships have been found in the Kerch Straitbetween mainland Russia and Crimeawhich Russia annexed to Ukraine in 2014.