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New fuel slick in Russian controlled Kerch Strait

A new fuel slick has been spotted on the surface in the Kerch Strait near the site where the 'Volgoneft 239' shipwrecked. On March 31,the ecologist Georgy Kavanosyan released a synthetic aperture radar image of the Kerch Strait, showing what appeared to be a long slick at the entrance to the strait. The site corresponds to the location of the bow section of the 'Volgoneft 239'. A second environmental scientist, Igor Shkradyuk, estimated that the leak was likely in the range of hundreds of liters per day ,and that it would likely continue through the warm months of the year as the fuel cargo heated up and seeped out. Government agencies were not telling what was happening with the spilled fuel oil. Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said on April 4, that it continues to monitor the wreck sites daily, and it claimed that no additional fuel leaks from the tanker has been recorded. Russia's environment ministry (Rosprirodnadzor) has filed a new claim for compensation for damages against the owners of the 'Volgoneft 239' and 'Volgoneft 212'. The total claim comes to about 85 billion rubles ($1 billion), split between the Kama Shipping and Volgatransneft CFC. The two companies have one month to pay for the damages, after which the ministry will initiate a lawsuit.

Anapa suing shipping companies for $2.4 million after oil spill

The Russian summer resort town of Anapa, a popular holiday town of some 80,000 people, is suing two shipping companies for $2.4 million after an oil spill devastated its local beaches. The office of the town's mayor, Vasiliy Shvets, announced on March 10 that it was seeking 211 million rubles from Volgatransneft and Kama Shipping, citing clean-up costs from the companies which owned and operated the 'Volgoneft 212' and 'Volgoneft 239', which had carried 9,000 metric tons of low-grade fuel, more than half of which leaked into the Kerch Strait between Russia and the Russian occupied Crimean peninsula. Anapa was hard hit by the spill, which contaminated over 30 miles of beach. The cleanup involved 10,000 people shoveling and scooping blackened sand and polluted water. The spill drew international attention amid concerns that Russia's sanctioned energy industry is using a shadow fleet of commercial ships to ferry oil and gas to foreign customers. Many such vessels are aging tankers pulled back into service that often prove difficult to track, prompting fears of further spillage and a lack of mechanisms to contain the damage. The grey-area status of Russia's dark vessels also underscores concern that they might not be properly insured to cover oil spills, leaving communities hit by such disasters to shoulder cleaning costs For Anapa, the $2.4 million is an incomplete tally of the money already paid under contracts to deal with the spill. The amount is not final, and in the future, the administration intends to increase the claims. Municipal filings for the arbitration court of the Krasnodar region showed that Anapa submitted its lawsuit on March 7. Judge Irina Bondarenko is listed as overseeing the case. Testing the beaches for contamination, publishing footage of excavators and bulldozers cleaning up the seaside started on March 8. The long-term environmental impact of the spill remains to be seen. Greenpeace said the oil could sink to the bottom of the deep sea, poisoning fish and vegetation there. The impact of the ecological disaster could persist for decades.

Tanker companies responsible for massive oil spills have to pay only low fines

An arbitration court in the Krasnodar region affected by the oil spill by the 'Volgoneft 212' and 'Volgoneft 109' has ordered low fines for the responsible shipping companies. The company Volgatransneft is to pay a fine of 300,000 rubles (3,076.92 euros) each for violating the safety and usage regulations of the tankers. The company Kama Shipping is to pay a fine of 30,000 rubles for another ship. Decisions on two other tankers, including the "Volgoneft 212", were still pending. All ships were in coastal waters longer than permitted when the accidents occurred, being designed for river shipping and only allowed to go out to sea for short periods. Environmentalists are believing that the consequences of the oil spills will be felt for years to come. Tens of thousands of tons of sand were contaminated and numerous animals died. A few days after the two tankers broke in two, the "Volgoneft-109" also got into distress, but it was said that no oil had leaked out.