Video appears to show one of the tankers broken in half and sinking amid a heavy storm, with oil visible in the water.

“There’s a bow and there are two ships , torn in half,”

— more footage from the site of the wreck of Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry officially confirmed that the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 are sinking. An MI-8 helicopter has been dispatched to the scene. There are 13 people and fuel oil on board the Volgoneft-212, and 14 people and oil products on board the Volgoneft-239.

“More than 50 specialists and 11 pieces of equipment are already involved in eliminating the consequences. Further information is being clarified,” the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports.

https://t.me/astrapress/70315

  • perestroika@lemm.eeEnglish
    27·
    12 days ago

    A case of history almost literally repeating itself: quoting from Wikipedia.

    In early November 2007, a severe storm caused many ships to ground in the Strait of Kerch, between Ukraine and Russia. One of these was the Volganeft-139, a river oil tanker that lost over 4,000 tonnes of heavy oil.

    (Also, in 2007 when Volganeft-139 broke in half at sea, another ship, the Volganeft-123, limped into port with a cracked hull.)

    These hulls are shallow and aren’t designed for serious wave stress. Only an idiot sends them to sea during a storm.

    Some folks over there have been totally unwilling to learn.