Storms on the night of November 10-11 sank one Russian oil tanker and split the hull of a second tanker off the coast of Ukraine while a number of other cargo vessels, including three carrying sulphur, also sank during the bad weather. Warnings over the coming storm had been issued, but it appears that a number of ships had already put to sea and opted to continue rather than turn back to port.
Environmental concerns
Environmental groups were pessimistic about the impact of the disaster, stressing that at this stage it was impossible to assess the scale of the damage to local ecosystems. However, as the area is an important point along the annual migration routes of many Siberian birds including the red-throated and black-throated Siberian diver birds, it is thought that the damage could have long-lasting implications for the region. The area hit by the oil spills is also home to the Black Sea porpoise and is rich in rare vegetation.
Long-term impact
Clean-up operations were underway all last week, with officials reporting thousands of dead birds, but the full extent of the damage may only become clear in the coming months when the amount of oil to have sunk to the seabed can be estimated. Fishing and swimming in the affected areas has been banned as Crimean officials struggle to cope with what is potentially the region’s largest ecological disaster to date.
