The aftermath of a Russian oil tanker splitting in half because of a storm was caught on camera as the ship began to sink and oil spilt into the Black Sea.
Video captured and shared to social media shows Volgoneft-212, one of the cargo tankers, broken in two. The bow of the ship can be seen floating vertically in the water. Waves wash over the side of the ship that is still floating horizontally in the water, but sinking.
В Керченском проливе терпят бедствие два российских танкера. Они могли перевозить не меньше 8000 тонн нефтепродуктов https://t.co/r9pWtLGqGj
— Медиазона (@mediazzzona) December 15, 2024
Видео: SHOT pic.twitter.com/H3SNDoijUt
About 4,300 tons of fuel oil were reported to be aboard Volgoneft-212, and about 4,000 of that is believed to have ended up in the Black Sea after the ship capsized, as reported by the Moscow Times and Mash.
Another tanker, Volgoneft-239, was also damaged in the storm. This vessel was carrying more than four tons of oil, emergency services told Russian outlet TASS.
Federal shipping agency Rosmorrechflot said in a statement obtained by the Moscow Times that the tankers were "wrecked" because of "a storm in the Black Sea waters," resulting in "an oil spill."
More than a dozen crew members were aboard each ship. Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations wrote in a statement to Telegram that first responders were being flown to the ships by helicopter.
So far at least one person has been confirmed dead, as reported by TASS. Rosmorrechflot added that efforts to contain the spill are underway.
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