Video appears to show one of the tankers broken in half and sinking amid a heavy storm, with oil visible in the water.

“There’s a bow and there are two ships , torn in half,”

— more footage from the site of the wreck of Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry officially confirmed that the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 are sinking. An MI-8 helicopter has been dispatched to the scene. There are 13 people and fuel oil on board the Volgoneft-212, and 14 people and oil products on board the Volgoneft-239.

“More than 50 specialists and 11 pieces of equipment are already involved in eliminating the consequences. Further information is being clarified,” the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports.

https://t.me/astrapress/70315

  • perestroika@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    7 days ago

    A case of history almost literally repeating itself: quoting from Wikipedia.

    In early November 2007, a severe storm caused many ships to ground in the Strait of Kerch, between Ukraine and Russia. One of these was the Volganeft-139, a river oil tanker that lost over 4,000 tonnes of heavy oil. At the request of local responders, Sea Alarm sent a small team to assess the situation and the International Fund for Animal Welfare also sent two representatives.

    These hulls are shallow and aren’t designed for serious wave stress. Only an idiot sends them to sea.