On the afternoon of December 15, it became known that the Volgoneft-212 tanker, which was carrying fuel oil, had been caught in a storm in the Kerch Strait and had been wrecked. A few hours later, information appeared that another oil tanker, the Volgoneft-239, had also been seriously damaged during the storm and had run aground near the port of Taman.
As a result of the rescue operation, which lasted almost a day, 25 people were evacuated from two ships; one of the crew members of the Volgoneft-212 tanker died.
As a result of the two emergencies, according to preliminary estimates by experts, about 3,500 tons of fuel oil spilled into the sea. By the morning of December 18, oil products covered almost 40 kilometers of the Black Sea coast near Anapa, and by December 21, the area of pollution increased to 54 kilometers. Also, isolated emissions of fuel oil mixed with algae were noted on the coast in Kerch.
Who is to blame for the maritime disaster near Anapa
Photo - © RIA Novosti
The main versions of the emergency include an error on the bahamas mobile database part of the crews of the tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239.
"In the area of the crash, about 7 km from the shore, there are difficult weather conditions and a strong storm. According to preliminary data, the crews of one or both tankers in such conditions could not cope with the elements and made mistakes in controlling the vessel," a source from the marine search and rescue service told Interfax.
Also among the versions of the crash, the excessive storm load on the tankers’ hulls will be considered, since these vessels were designed not for sea, but for river shipping – with the possibility of limited access to coastal sea zones in calm weather conditions.
A criminal case has been opened under Articles Part 1 of Article 263 and Part 2 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - on violation of safety rules for the movement and operation of sea transport, resulting in the death of a person.
On December 18, the captains of two tankers that sank in the Kerch Strait were charged.