Russian scientists raise alarm over lacklustre efforts to clean up Black Sea oil spill

Russian scientists have slammed efforts made by the country’s authorities to clean up oil that was washed ashore following the accident involving two oil tankers in the Black Sea. On December 15, the two Russian tankers the Volgoneft-212 and the Volgoneft-239 were hit by a storm in the Kerch Strait. While one of the tankers sank, the other one ran aground.

The strait separates Southern Russia from the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea which was annexed by Moscow back in 2014. The ships involved in the incident were carrying 9,200 tonnes of fuel oil, about 40 per cent of which may have spilt into the sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin went on to describe it as an “ecological disaster”.

Following the incident, thousands of volunteers were mobilised to remove oil-sogged sand from nearby beaches. However, the scientist raised concerns that volunteers do not have the necessary equipment to deal with the crisis at hand.

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The experts noted that bulldozers are required for the operation. “There are no bulldozers there, no trucks. Practically no heavy machinery,” said Viktor Danilov-Danilyan at a news conference. Danilov-Danilyan is the scientific head of the Water Problems Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and served as Russia’s environment minister in the 1990s, AFP reported.

He noted that the volunteers have only “shovels and useless plastic bags that rip apart". “While the bags wait to finally be collected, storms arrive and they end up back in the sea. It’s unthinkable!" he added. It is pertinent to note that public criticisms towards the authorities are rare in Russia.

On Monday, Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources said that up to 200,000 tonnes of sand may have been contaminated with oil. On Wednesday, nearly 30,000 tonnes have already been collected, said Krasnodar region governor Veniamin Kondratyev.

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While commenting on the matter, Sergei Ostakh, a professor at the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, said that the oil could reach the shores of Crimea. “No one should have illusions it will stay clean,” he said, calling for quick action. Meanwhile, Delfa Dolphin Rescue Centre said that the oil spills may have killed 21 dolphins, although tests were needed to confirm the cause of death.

With inputs from AFP.