Russia Declares Federal Emergency Over 4,300 Tonne Oil Spill in Black Sea's Kerch Strait

Dec 26, 2024, 10:00 AM

Russia has declared a federal emergency in response to an ongoing oil spill in the Black Sea, which was triggered by the collision of two aging Russian oil tankers on December 15. The incident occurred in the Kerch Strait, where one tanker split in half and the other ran aground, resulting in the spillage of more than 4,300 tonnes of heavy fuel oil. The spill has severely impacted the coastal areas of Anapa and Temryuk district in the Krasnodar region, leading to a regional state of emergency on December 25. The federal emergency declaration was made to allocate resources for managing the environmental disaster, which has affected local wildlife including seabirds and dolphins. Cleanup efforts have been ongoing, with over 4,300 people involved, and more than 25 tons of oil-water mixture have been collected, with 27,900 square meters of the sea area treated with sorbent.