2024 Kerch Strait oil spill

2024 Kerch Strait oil spill
Location	Kerch Strait, Black Sea
Coordinates	45°04′18″N 36°35′53″E
Date	15 December 2024
Cause
Cause	Inclement weather Potential safety breaches
Casualties	One crew member killed
Spill characteristics
Volume	3,700 tonnes

Early in the morning of 15 December 2024, the Russian-flagged oil tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 were caught in a storm just south of the Kerch Strait. Volgoneft-212, which was reportedly carrying approximately 4,900 tonnes of fuel oil, split in half and sank, resulting in an oil spill and the death of one crew member. Volgoneft-239 sustained damage, causing the vessel to begin drifting for several hours until it ran aground near the Port of Taman, Krasnodar Krai. It too began leaking oil.

Both vessels still had some of their cargo intact and the oil leaks were stopped by the next day, with initial estimates stating that approximately 3,700 tonnes of oil was spilled. Separate criminal cases were opened by Russia into both vessels for potential maritime safety breaches, though the case for Volgoneft-212 had an additional charge for negligent homicide.

Background

Volgoneft-212 was built in 1969, was 136 metres in length and was registered in Saint Petersburg. It was owned and managed by KamaTransOil and Kama Shipping, both of which are based in Perm, Russia. Volgoneft-239 was built in 1973, is 132 metres in length and was registered in Astrakhan and is owned and operated by Volgotransneft. Both tankers have a maximum loading capacity of approximately 4,200 tonnes. Mash reported that both vessels were converted some time in the 1990s from regular oil tankers into river-sea class vessels. Volgoneft-212 was refitted in 2024, with The Guardian reporting that during this refit "the centre was cut out and the stern and bow were welded together, forming a huge seam in the middle. It is this section that appears to have broken."

Both tankers were reportedly owned by Volgotanker, a company based in Samara which transports oil products in Russia's inland waterways and along the coast of the Black Sea. Almost all of their ships were built between 1966 and 1990 with a capacity of between 4,000 and 5,000 deadweight tonnage.

iStories reported that, in the months prior to the incident, both vessels had been shuttling between Port Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait and oil refinery terminals on the Volga River.

Kerch Strait

Main article: Kerch Strait

The Kerch Strait separates the Kerch Peninsula in Crimea and the Taman Peninsula in mainland Russia's Krasnodar Krai, connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Several ships have been either damaged or sunk during storms in or near the Kerch Strait;

Volgoneft-139 was carrying 4,800 tonnes of fuel oil when it anchored in the Kerch Strait during a storm in November 2007. It split in half, spilling between approximately 1,300–1,600 tonnes of oil, resulting in "tens of kilometres" of pollution on both sides of the Kerch Strait. 13 crew members were rescued, with four other ships sinking during the storm. On 19 April 2017, the Panamanian-registered 3,500 tonne bulk carrier Geroi Arsenala split in half and sank approximately 19 nautical miles south of the Taman Peninsula between the Port of Azov in Rostov Oblast and Turkey while carrying grain during a storm. One crew member was rescued, while a further two were later found dead; nine were missing. In November 2023, the Strait was closed due to severe stormy weather as a measure to prevent damage to ships. Despite this, during the closure, two vessels, the Matros Shevchenko and Matros Pozynich, were stopped close to each other in the Strait. They both collided at low speed, drifting into an anchored vessel, the Kavkaz-5.

Ecological issues in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov

The Black Sea and the Sea of Azov have faced numerous issues since the 20th century including the polluting effects of the aforementioned incidents and from nearby ports and rivers; the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, with ships being sunk, underwater explosions and Russia using protected lands as training grounds or extraction sites for materials; overfishing; invasive species; and climate change. These issues have caused changes to the local ecosystems and caused some species to disappear.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine however, these negative effects were greatly exacerbated. There has been a rapid die-off of dolphins, porpoises and other cetaceans, with cases of live animals washing up on shore also increasing. The highest rate of cases is around Crimea, particularly near to Sevastopol, where several Russian bases reside. In early 2022, Russian warships began blockading Ukrainian ports. The release of ballast water by the warships is not monitored, allowing pollutants and invasive species from other areas to enter the environment. Sunken warships also caused several oil spills, with the spills extending tens of thousands of square kilometres, including into protected waters, with oil polymerization in the water causing mass bird deaths.

Fires from military activities have also damaged several national parks. As an example, a total of 131 fires were recorded on the Kinburn Peninsula, a protected area for marine and coastal colonies, in 2022, destroying over 5,000 hectares of the park and the nesting places of approximately 100 bird species.

Following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June 2023, several protected areas were flooded, with freshwater polluted by fuels, lubricants, fertilizers and wastewater from settlements and fields entering the Black Sea. In the days that followed, rapid desalination of sea water from 14 to 4ppm was discovered in the waters near Odesa, Ukraine. In some coastal areas, researchers noted acute toxicity in the water, with nitrogen concentrations drastically rising, an indicator of direct sewage pollution. Polluted water was also found in the Danube River.

Despite this, in the years preceding 2023, researchers noticed indicators that some ecosystems had begun gradually recovering. Although it is currently impossible to assess the impacts on the Sea of Azov, researchers were able to have limited access to the Black Sea. What they discovered is that, due to tourist travel being banned in the north western Black Sea due to mining and a lessening in commercial vessels and fishing, there had been a lessening of pressure on ecosystems. Several species considered rare had also become more common with the lack of tourism.

Incident

Early in the morning of 15 December 2024, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 were heading south out of the Kerch Strait, entering the more open waters of the Black Sea. Volgoneft-212 had 13 crew on board, while Volgoneft-239 had 14 crew on board; both vessels were carrying mazut, a low grade heavy fuel oil used in various applications across the former Soviet Union and Iran, which they were transporting for the Russian Navy. Despite their MarineTraffic systems being switched off, tracking data from 1 October 2024 showed that their delivery route was from Volgograd, Russia, to Kerch, Crimea. Volgoneft-212 was carrying 4,900 tonnes, while Volgoneft-239 carrying approximately 4,300 tonnes.

Both vessels were reportedly rated for waves with a maximum height of 3 metres and wind speeds up to 40 miles per hour. There are differing reports as to the conditions the vessels faced. According to unnamed Russian officials in Crimea on the day of the incident, the storm reached up to a seven on the Beaufort scale, with wind speeds up to 32–38 miles per hour. According to a Television News Service report on the day of the incident, waves reached a height of 3.5 metres with wind speeds of approximately 53 miles per hour.

Volgoneft-212 split in half approximately five miles from shore after it was hit by a large wave; its bow sank and one crew member died of hypothermia, with the majority of its cargo spilling. Soon after Volgoneft-212 was damaged, Volgoneft-239 sustained damage and lost power, drifting for several hours until it ran aground approximately 80 metres from shore near the Port of Taman.

Two rescue tugboats were sent from Kerch, while two Mi-8 helicopters and over 50 people were deployed to assist in the rescue efforts. The rescue efforts were complicated due to the darkness and the storm, though the remaining crew members of Volgoneft-212 were rescued, at least eight of which had to be rescued from the water. 11 crew members were hospitalised, two of which were treated for hypothermia.

Efforts to rescue the crew of Volgoneft-239 were temporarily suspended due to inclement weather, with the vessel having all necessary means to ensure the safety of the crew, though rescuers maintained contact with the vessel. Rescue efforts were resumed the following day, rescuing the entire crew.

Nearby incidents

Volgoneft-109, which was built in 1973 with a capacity of 4,700 summer deadweight, was carrying approximately 4,000 tonnes of mazut and was anchored near the Port of Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait when it broadcast a distress signal early on 17 December. The captain reported an internal crack in a cargo tank which was leaking its cargo into a ballast tank. The crew remained aboard and was assisted by a salvage vessel, with a spokesperson from the Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport stating that "The water tightness of the hull itself is not compromised, there is no leakage into the sea."

Aftermath

President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to create a group to coordinate the rescue efforts and attempt to lessen the ecological effects of the oil spill after meeting with the ministers of Emergency Situations and Natural Resources and Environment, Aleksandr Kurenkov and Alexander Kozlov respectively. He further appointed Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev to head a task force aimed at mitigating the damage to the environment.

Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor, stated that specialists were assessing the site, with teams from the Marine Rescue Service and the Ministry of Emergency Situations being dispatched to attempt to mitigate the environmental effects. The Federal Agency for Fishery stated the day after the incident that "After the weather normalizes and disaster relief efforts are completed, an assessment of the damage to marine life will be given."

On 16 December it was discovered that, though some of the fuel containers on both ships were still intact on both vessels, Vologneft-239 had also began spilling oil. The oil from both ships began drifting towards the coast north west of the Port of Taman, Krasnodar Krai, between the Tuzla Spit and Cape Panagiya, though as of that afternoon it had not reached the shoreline. TASS reported that leaks from both tankers had stopped, though it was believed that approximately 3,700 tonnes of oil had been spilled.

Reports of puddles of oil building up on the coastline began on 17 December, with approximately 37 miles of coastline between the Crimean Bridge and Anapa, Anapsky District becoming polluted. A state of emergency was later declared in both the Anapsky and Temryuksky Districts. There were also reports of birds covered in oil, either dead or struggling to fly on the shoreline; while one such report was from Volna, a short distance east of the Port of Taman, another two were from a beach near Anapa and Vityazevo, approximately 30 miles to the south east. Kondratyev also said "There are currently 267 people working on site from emergency services, with 50 units of equipment involved. If necessary, we will increase the number of forces and resources," though other estimates place the number at 500 volunteers and officials, with an 18 December estimate at 4,000 volunteers. According to satellite imagery, Volgoneft-239 was still aground and was slowly breaking apart as of 17 December.

Investigation

Separate criminal cases were opened by Russia for each vessel. Both were initially opened due to potential breaches of maritime safety regulations, though the case involving Volgoneft-212 was later expanded to include charges relating to negligent homicide due to the death of a crew member.

Reactions

Natalia Gozak, Director of Greenpeace's Ukrainian office, compared the incident to the November 2007 spillage including Volgoneft-139, telling Sky News "We are monitoring the situation, and it's not good in terms of environmental consequences." She stated that the Volgoneft-139 incident negatively effected the biodiversity and marine life in the area for years, and that "we can expect a similar impact for years to come. What we have seen from the previous event was that even after one year the levels of pollution stayed really high, with traces observed years and years later. [...] Considering a storm is involved, and the ships are reported to have been carrying thousands of tonnes of oil, I think a new environmental catastrophe is on its way."

Dmytro Pletenchuk, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, said "These are quite old Russian tankers. You can’t go to sea in such a storm. The Russians violated the operating rules. The result is an accident." Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, called the Russian shadow fleet "hopelessly outdated", saying that they often "have fictitious insurance policies, conceal their true owners, and often overload oil at sea." and that further incidents are "statistically inevitable". He called for "the most stringent sanctions against shadow fleet vessels and their associated persons," that Russian ships be banned from territorial and international waters and that they be forced to use protection and indemnity insurance coverage. On 16 December, the European Union adopted sanctions against, among other entities, 52 vessels from the Russian shadow fleet, bringing the total of sanctioned vessels to 79.