Russian tanker breaks apart in storm, spills oil in Kerch Strait By Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of tons of oil broke apart amid a storm on Sunday, spilling oil into the Kerch Strait, while another tanker was also in trouble after it was damaged, Russian officials said.

The ships were in the Kerch Strait between Russia and Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, when it issued a crisis alert.

Russian investigators have opened two criminal investigations into possible safety violations after one person was killed when the 136 meter Volgoneft 212 tanker, which was carrying 15 people, split in half and sank.

Footage on state media showed waves washing over his roof.

The Russian-flagged ship, which was built in 1969, was damaged and broke up, officials said.

An unconfirmed video posted on the Telegraph showed dark water in the stormy sea and a sinking tank.

A second Russian-flagged vessel, the 132-metre Volgoneft 239, was reeling after the wreck, the emergency ministry said. It has a team of 14 people and was built in 1973.

The Kerch Strait is an important channel for the export of Russian grain and is also used for the export of oil, petroleum and distillates.

Ukraine in September accused Russia in the international court of violating maritime law by trying to bring the Kerch Strait under its sole jurisdiction, which Moscow denies without reason.

Emergency services say one person is dead, but 12 other people have been released from the first tank. Eleven people were taken to hospital, two are in serious condition, the TASS news agency quoted Alexei Kuznetsov, assistant minister of health, as saying.

The Emergencies Ministry said it was still in contact with another tanker and its crew after the ship struck 80 m from the coast near the port of Taman at the end of the Kerch Strait.

Both tanks have a capacity of 4,200 tons of fuel.

Officials did not elaborate on the extent of the leak or why one of the tanks was so badly damaged.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to set up a task force to deal with the rescue operation and reduce the effects of the oil spill, the media quoted the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, as Putin met with the emergency and environment ministers.

Russia said more than 50 personnel and equipment, including Mi-8 helicopters and rescue tugboats, had been sent to the area.

Svetlana Radionova, head of Russia’s environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor, said experts are assessing the damage at the scene.