Oil from sunken Russian tankers could reach the Sea of Azov. When will this happen?

The accident involving the tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239" in the Kerch Strait has led to significant environmental consequences. Within just a few days, the fuel oil could reach the Sea of Azov.

This information comes from RBK-Ukraine, citing the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.

According to the Ministry of Ecology, fuel oil from the Russian tankers may reach the Sea of Azov as early as December 27-29. Meanwhile, it is still leaking from one of the tankers and has already reached the shores of Crimea.

There is also a gradual movement of the pollution in an easterly direction, towards the open waters of the Black Sea. Observational data indicate that on December 23, the oil slick concentrated in the vicinity of the Kerch Strait. In the following days, the fuel oil began to spread due to wind conditions and currents.

Starting from December 25, due to changing synoptic conditions, a gradual movement of petroleum products in a northwestern direction is expected. This may pose a potential threat of the fuel oil reaching the southern coast of Crimea. Furthermore, the fuel oil could again spread northward from the point where the vessel sank, towards the Sea of Azov, around December 27-29.

"It is important to note that as of today, the exact amount of fuel oil remaining in the sunken part of the vessel and the rate of leakage, which may depend on hydrological conditions, the extent of the vessel's hull damage, and other factors, remain unknown. These factors create significant uncertainty in predicting the scale of the pollution," the ministry stated.

What Preceded This

Recently, due to a severe storm, two Russian tankers, "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239," sank in the Kerch Strait. The waves nearly split them in half. Later, a few days after that, it became known that another tanker had sunk near the port of "Kavkaz" in the Black Sea.

For more information on what happened with the Russian tankers near Crimea and whether there are threats to Ukraine, see our article.