Oil has washed up along "tens of kilometers" of the Russian Black Sea coast after two tankers were damaged in a storm over the weekend. The first tanker, Volgoneft 212, split in half, while the second, Volgoneft 239, ran aground near the port of Taman. Both ships, over 50 years old, were carrying approximately 9,200 metric tons (62,000 barrels) of oil products.
Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of the southern Krasnodar region, declared a local state of emergency at four settlements due to the oil spill, which stretches from Temryuk to Anapa.
Social media videos captured oil-stained beaches in and around the resort city of Anapa, with birds covered in oil struggling to fly.
Natalia Gozak, office director of Greenpeace Ukraine, described the accidents involving the two tankers—both over 50 years old—as serious and warned that the leaked fuel oil is threatening the local ecosystem.
