Russian authorities on Monday, the 16th of December, sought to limit the damage caused by the oil spill in the Kerch Strait from two ageing tankers that were damaged over the weekend during a severe storm, highlighting the environmental and insurance risks posed by Russia’s “shadow fleet”, reports Reuters.
The tanker Volgoneft 212 broke in two, killing one crew member and 12 were rescued, while authorities said all 14 crew members on the tanker Volgoneft 239, which ran aground 80 metres off the coast near the port of Taman, were also rescued.
The Russian news agency TASS reported that the more than 50-year-old vessels contained a total of about 9 200 tonnes (62 000 barrels) of oil products, but it is still being clarified exactly how much was spilled.
The Volgoneft 212 was built in 1969 and the Volgoneft 239 in 1973, according to certificates seen by Reuters.
The spill could become one of the biggest environmental disasters to hit the region in recent years, although the size of the potential insurance claim was not immediately clear.
The shipping industry is concerned about hundreds of Russian “shadow” tankers evading sanctions and ignoring clean shipping rules, increasing the risk of collisions. The Kerch Strait, which separates the Russian mainland from Moscow’s annexed Crimea region, is the main route for its exports of grain and fuel products.
The Finnish-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said that 369 vessels exported Russian crude oil and oil products last month, 206 of which were “shadow” tankers and 28% of which were at least 20 years old.
Before the weekend incidents, CREA warned that cleaning up oil spills caused by uninsured or poorly insured tankers could cost the country more than one billion US dollars in taxpayers’ money.
Documents showed that the Volgoneft 212 was insured by Russia’s VSK, while the ship’s operator, Kama-Shipping, claimed that it was carrying 4 200 tonnes of fuel oil.
The Russian company OOO Absolyut Strakhovaniye covered the insurance of the Volgoneft 239, according to documents seen by Reuters.
Russia rejects Western pressure to restrict oil exports and the number of tankers carrying cargoes not regulated and insured by Western service providers has increased over the past year.
The European Commission on Wednesday approved the 15th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, targeting a further 52 “shadow fleet” vessels used to circumvent restrictions on the transport of oil, arms and grain, bringing the total number of vessels on the list to 79.
The package also includes tougher measures against some Chinese entities.
President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered the government to set up a working group to deal with the rescue operation and mitigate the spill, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.