Two Russian oil tankers have suffered major damage amid a storm in the Kerch Strait, spilling oil and triggering an emergency rescue operation, Russian officials told state news outlets on Sunday.
The Volgoneft-212 tanker, carrying 13 crew members and a cargo of fuel oil, ran aground and had its bow torn off, Russian state news agency TASS said, citing the country’s Emergency Situations Ministry. Officials said the damage was caused by bad weather.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, a second tanker named Volgoneft 239 was also damaged by the storm and washed away in the same area along with 14 crew members. The Kerch Strait separates the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula from Russia and is an important global shipping route, providing passage from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.
It has also been a focal point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine since Moscow annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. In 2016, Ukraine took Moscow to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, where it accused Russia of illegally trying to seize control of the region. In 2021, Russia closed the strait for several months.
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