MOSCOW (AP) — Russia declared a federal state of emergency Thursday over a major oil spill in the Black Sea after a tanker split in half during a severe storm, escalating response efforts to an environmental disaster that has overwhelmed local resources.
The Volgoneft 212, carrying more than 4,000 tons of fuel, broke apart off Crimea’s coast on December 15, resulting in one crew member’s death. The incident, which occurred in the strategic Kerch Strait, also imperiled two other vessels during the storm, with the Volgoneft 239 sustaining damage while the Volgoneft 109 escaped unharmed.
“Taking into account the current situation, I propose classifying the emergency situation as a federal emergency,” said Alexander Kurenkov, head of the Russian Emergencies Ministry. He reported that only 15% of necessary cleanup work has been completed, highlighting the massive scale of the contamination.
Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev requested federal intervention after regional resources proved insufficient despite allocating 1.2 billion rubles ($11 million) for cleanup efforts. “Every day, volunteers collect oil products, come in the morning—and everything starts all over again,” Kondratyev said, describing the persistent contamination.
The crisis has particularly strained local disposal capabilities, with thousands of tons of oil-contaminated sand accumulating in temporary storage areas. “We cannot keep them there for long,” Kondratyev warned, noting that regional processing facilities are “working at the limit of their capabilities.”
The spill location in the Kerch Strait, separating Russia from Crimea, holds strategic significance as a key logistics route for Russian military operations since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of the peninsula. The federal emergency declaration will enable additional resources, funding, and specialized personnel to join the cleanup operation.
Environmental volunteers had been calling for increased government assistance before the declaration, as local efforts struggled to contain the spreading contamination. The elevation to federal status acknowledges the disaster’s scope extends beyond regional capacity to manage.
Russian authorities have launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident, including the rescue operation that saved most crew members from the three affected vessels during the severe storm.
