Fuel oil from Russian tankers reaches Azov Sea shores, Mariupol City Council reports
Pravda Ukraine
A 300-square-kilometre oil spill has been detected in the Azov Sea following a collision between two Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait. The wind may carry the oil products towards the shores of Mariupol.
Source: Mariupol City Council on Telegram; Centre for Investigative Journalism
Quote: “A concentrated oil slick, covering an area of 300 square kilometres, has been detected in the Sea of Azov. This is confirmed by satellite images from Sentinel-2.”
Details: Earlier, the Russians reported finding polluted areas along the coastline of occupied Berdyansk, covering more than 14 km.
Given the currents and wind direction in the region, the fuel oil could be carried further west, potentially reaching Mariupol.
Background:
- Reports emerged on the morning of 15 December indicating that two Russian tankers, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, were sinking in the Kerch Strait. Both vessels were reported to be broken in half, with fuel oil leaking into the water.
- Following the incident, Greenpeace Ukraine warned that Russia’s militarisation of the Black and Azov Seas threatens to unleash a new environmental catastrophe.
- An emergency state was declared on 25 December in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai due to fuel oil contamination along the Black Sea coastline.
- On 6 January, oil products from the Russian tankers’ accident that spilled into the Black Sea reached the southern coast of Crimea. Oil slicks, up to 15 km in length, were detected near Sevastopol and the town of Kacha.
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