MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Two tankers, which sunk in the Kerch strait earlier this month causing a major oil spill, have violated seasonal restrictions on maritime traffic in the area, the Russian Transport Ministry said in a statement on its Telegram channel.

"An inspection by the Federal Service for Supervision of Transport established that both vessels were present in the Kerch Strait in breach of seasonal restrictions on maritime traffic via its waters," the statement says.

The ministry added that a number of tankers of the ships' owner Volgatransneft did not have a license for transporting dangerous cargoes in inland waters.

Cleanup effort

The Russian transport ministry said over 170 square kilometers of water have been examined since the incident, with over 24,300 square meters already cleared of oil.

"Booms are being installed in order to contain the oil slick. After that, the waste is being collected by special vessels, and treated with sorbents. A total of 2,705 kg of sorbent has already been used for the purpose. In total, 19 vessels are involved in the cleanup effort," the ministry said.

On the shore, about 4,800 square meters of coastline have been cleaned up, with around 14,500 tons of oil waste collected. Containment booms have been installed to protect river estuaries and limans in the affected area.

"The transport ministry continues to monitor the situation in the Kerch Strait," the ministry added.

Kerch shipwreck

On December 15, the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 tankers sank in the Kerch Strait of the Black Sea during a storm. One sailor lost his life, while the rest were successfully evacuated. Emergency services revealed that the tankers were carrying about 9,200 tons of fuel oil, resulting in an oil spill in the Black Sea. Cleanup efforts are ongoing, with a working group of over 10,000 personnel mobilized for the emergency response.

Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov reported that 14,000 tons of oil-contaminated sand have been removed so far, and the volume of polluted soil could potentially reach 200,000 tons.