The sunken Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait were built during the Soviet era, and their service life is approximately 15 years. They have a carrying capacity of 4.8-5 thousand tons.
According to a study by the State Transport Leasing Company, the average age of the sea freight fleet in Russia is 26 years, with ships flying foreign flags being newer than those flying the Russian flag. The average age of river freight transport in the country is about 40 years.
On December 15, two tankers "Volgoneft-212" with a crew of 13 and "Volgoneft-239", on board of which there were 14 sailors, sank in the Kerch Strait. This happened due to a storm - the ships encountered strong winds and sea waves of up to seven points.
People were evacuated from there, and one employee of Volgoneft-212 died. The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case for violation of the rules for the safety of movement and operation of maritime transport.
The accident led to an oil spill. According to emergency services, the tankers were carrying about 9.2 thousand tons of fuel oil, according to preliminary estimates, about 3.7 thousand tons spilled into the sea.
On Thursday, December 26, a federal state of emergency was declared in the Krasnodar Territory. Rescuers and volunteers collect contaminated soil on the shore, specialists remove the oil-water mixture from the water area and treat it with a sorbent. There are several centers for rescuing birds affected by fuel oil.