Two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, have sustained heavy damage in the Black Sea during a severe storm, resulting in an oil spill and the death of at least one crew member.
Footage from the incident shows one tanker broken in half and sinking, while the other reportedly drifted and possibly ran aground.
The ships, each with around 3,500 tonnes of oil capacity, were operating in the Kerch Strait, a vital shipping route between Russia and Crimea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev to lead the response, with over 50 personnel, tugboats, and helicopters engaged in rescue and clean-up operations.
Authorities are investigating the incident for criminal negligence.
Two Russian tankers carrying fuel oil — Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 — are sinking in the Kerch Strait. pic.twitter.com/XjeUlj1i8N
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 15, 2024
Interesting that this article appeared on Zerohedge yesterday. Coincidence?
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/ukraine-identifies-238-tankers-it-says-are-russias-shadow-oil-fleet
“We work on sanctions against the Russian shadow fleet,” Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said. “This should be supported at the level of the entire European Union. It is the tanker fleet that provides Putin with the largest part of the income for the war against Ukraine.”
Ukraine has previously deployed kamikaze stealth boats in the area to attack Russian military vessels. However, Kyiv has not commented on the current situation in the strait.