EMEA News
Russia: Kerch Strait Fuel oil Spill Pollution Persists
Fuel oil spilt from two ageing tankers that broke up in a storm in the Kerch Strait in December has affected some forty miles of coastline.
Of the two ships, one sank while the other was stranded close to the shore both vessels with around 4,500 metric tonnes of fuel oil onboard.
A tardy response from the authorities (both regional and federal) in removing oil from one of the ships prompted an influx of volunteers to the region as the effects of the spill spread out along the coastline, according to a report by US-based news provider the Washington Post. The area is a popular holiday destination.
The impact on marine life has seen some 60 dead dolphins off Novorossiysk, Anapa and Taman since the spill, and an additional 34 dead animals turning up on Crimea and near its city of Sevastopol.
Fuel oil from the sunken tanker continues to leak into the sea, the report said.
