RUSSIA: Russian soldiers clean up oil spill after a storm wrecked a tanker in the Kerch Strait

Russian authorities on Wednesday (November 14) faced the huge task of cleaning up fuel oil spilled from a tanker in the Kerch strait, a waterway that links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov. The tanker split open during Sunday's (November 11) storm during which four more ships sank and at least six sailors died. Continuous bad weather had hampered clean up efforts, but on Wednesday the storm receded and the scale of the damage became visible. Official statements said oil products penetrated 20 to 30 cm deep into the shore and covered the entire coastline. Video from a helicopter showed the oil spill stretched for tens of metres across the sea, covering sea birds in a layer of black oil. Samples showed the concentration of petroleum products in the Kerch strait was 50 times above maximum acceptable levels. Authorities despatched soldiers and special chemical absorbent to clean up the spill. "We have increased our efforts on the shore, we are multiplying by ten the number of people and equipment involved. By the end of today we will have 2,000 people working with equipment. We will be working at Tusla and Chushka sandbanks. But our main focus is on the Tusla sandbank, because it is the most complicated area to clean up," said Sergey Kapustin, deputy head of Russia Emergency Ministry in Krasnadar. The Kerch Strait is an important migration route for birds and its coast is popular among Russian tourists for its wildlife. Earlier reports said some 9,000 fish and 30,000 birds had been killed by the pollution. Some volunteers were seen trying to save the birds, but lacked the resources to do so. "We tried to clean this bird with hot water, but it did not work," Alexander a regional forest keeper said. The Russian Emergency Ministry said earlier 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil had spilled into the sea, and fuel was still spilling out. The sunken dry-cargo vessels have about 7,000 tonnes of sulphur on board. jdm/jrc

ITN Source | November 15, 2007

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