'A new environmental catastrophe is on its way,' charity warns after damaged Russian tankers cause oil spill

Two Russian tankers in the Black Sea have been badly damaged due to stormy weather, according to the Interfax news agency.

At least one person has been killed, and an emergency rescue operation is under way to evacuate both crews.

Russian investigators say they have opened two criminal cases to look into possible safety violations.

Ifax says the damage has resulted in an oil spill, citing Russia's Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport (Rosmorrechflot).

Pictures and videos shared on X appear to show at least one ship in lots of trouble.

A video shot from inside one vessel appears to show part of a tanker ripped from the body of the craft, and sinking down into the water.

As the camera pans around, about seven members of the crew can be seen in the bridge of the tanker, wearing orange life jackets and looking out at the damage.

The 136-metre Volgoneft 212 tanker was carrying a crew of 13 and a cargo of fuel oil and had its bow torn away when it ran aground, according to Russian state news agency TASS, citing the country's Emergency Situations Ministry.

The badly damaged Russian-flagged vessel, which was built in 1969, is understood to have been carrying thousands of tonnes of oil, with a total capacity of around 4,2000 tonnes.

In the shared video, oil can be seen on the surface of the water.

"There was a spill of petroleum products," Russia's water transport agency, Rosmorrechflot confirmed.

A second Russian-flagged ship, the 132-metre Volgoneft 239, is also in distress in the same area after sustaining damage, according to Russian officials.

They say it has a crew of 14 people and was built in 1973. It also has a loading capacity of around 4,200 tonnes of oil products.

'The true impact will become apparent'

Natalia Gozak, director of the Ukrainian office of Greenpeace told Sky News: "We are monitoring the situation, and it's not good in terms of environmental consequences."

Unable to physically inspect the area due to the fact it's been occupied by Russia since 2014, she says the environmental charity uses social media and any information flagged to them to track potential pollution.

She compares it to an incident that took place in November 2007, when a storm struck ships in the same area, spilling around 1,300 tonnes of oil and causing the worst environmental disaster in the region in years.

Ms Gozak says with increased traffic in the area, as cargo ships bring fuel for Russian military ships, and stormy season under way, an incident like this was waiting to happen.

She says the effects of the 2007 spillage lasted for years, negatively impacting biodiversity and marine life. She fears the effects of this latest disaster could be just as bad, if not worse.

She explains: "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. The true impact will soon become apparent."

The rescue operation and clean up

Russia has sent more than 50 people and equipment including Mi-8 helicopters and rescue tugboats into the area.

Russia's emergency services ministry said both ships were damaged due to bad weather in the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and annexed Crimea.

The strait is an important global shipping route, providing passage from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

It has also been a key point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine after Moscow annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

In 2016, Ukraine took Moscow to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, where it accused Russia of trying to illegally seize control of the area. In 2021, Russia closed the strait for several months.

President Vladimir Putin has met with the deputy prime minister and the ministers for emergencies and the environment and has instructed that a working group is set up to deal with the rescue operation and mitigate the impact of the spill, the Kremlin said.

Svetlana Radionova, head of Russia's natural resources watchdog Rosprirodnadzor, said specialists were assessing the damage at the site of the incident.

Official statements did not provide details on the extent of the spill or why one of the tankers sustained such serious damage.

(c) Sky News 2024: 'A new environmental catastrophe is on its way,' charity warns after damaged Russian tankers cause o