Crimea Scientists criticize clean-up work after oil tanker accident
Following the accident involving two oil tankers off the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which is annexed by Russia, Russian scientists have criticized the clean-up work. Such public criticism of the authorities is rare in Russia.
26.12.2024, 00:56
SDA
Thousands of volunteers who had been mobilized to remove the spilled oil from the beaches did not have the necessary equipment, Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, head of the Institute for Water Problems at the Russian Academy of Sciences and former environment minister, told journalists on Wednesday.
"There are no bulldozers there, no trucks. Practically no heavy machinery," said Danilov-Danilyan. The volunteers only had "shovels and useless plastic bags that tear up", he criticized. "While the bags are waiting to finally be collected, storms come and they end up in the sea again. That's unimaginable!"
Up to 200,000 tons of sand could be contaminated with oil, the Russian Minister for Natural Resources said on Monday. Sergei Ostakh, a professor at the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, warned that the oil could soon reach the shores of Crimea. "No one should be under the illusion that it will remain clean," he said, calling for swift action.
Possibly because of oil: 21 dolphins dead
Oil pollution could be responsible for the deaths of 21 dolphins, the dolphin rescue center Delfa said. However, further tests are required to confirm the cause of death.
Two Russian tankers carrying thousands of tons of oil were severely damaged in mid-December during a storm in the Kerch Strait between Crimea and the Russian region of Krasnodar. The tankers in question were the "Volgoneft-212" and the "Volgoneft-239". One sailor died and 26 crew members were evacuated. The Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported on Tuesday that another Russian oil tanker, the "Volgoneft-109", with 14 people on board, had sent out a distress signal in the Black Sea because it had "lost fuel".
Images of the accident published online showed dramatic scenes: The "Volgoneft-212" broke in two, the stern standing vertically in the water. Shortly afterwards, the Russian Black Sea city of Anapa and other towns declared a state of emergency.
