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Oil spill kills three more dolphins in Crimea — republic’s head

According to the Russian Scientific and Ecological Center for Dolphin Rescue and Research, about 60 dolphins were found dead in the Krasnodar Region

SIMFEROPOL, January 13. /TASS/. Three more dolphins found dead in Crimea most likely suffered from an oil spill caused by a tanker accident in the Kerch Strait, the republic's head, Sergey Aksyonov, said on air of the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

"Unfortunately, we have three dolphins dead," Aksyonov said, responding to a question about the damage the oil spill posed to marine animals and birds.

Specialists and volunteers of the region are conducting large-scale efforts to save the affected birds - only the Taigan Safari park’s help has already provided assistance to more than 500 birds, Aksyonov added.

According to the Russian Scientific and Ecological Center for Dolphin Rescue and Research, also known as Delpha, about 60 dolphins were found dead in the Krasnodar Region, and their deaths may be linked to the oil spill caused by the tanker accident in the Kerch Strait. Some other victims of the oil spill were recorded in Anapa, Sochi, Novorossiysk, Gelendzhik, Sevastopol, and several bodies of cetaceans were also found near Tuapse.

On December 15, the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 tankers sank in the Kerch Strait area in the Black Sea amid a storm. One sailor died, and the rest were evacuated. According to emergency services, the tankers were carrying about 9,200 tons of fuel oil. An oil spill occurred in the Black Sea as a result of the accident, and clean-up operations are underway. According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, about 2,400 tons of oil products have leaked into the Black Sea, which is much less than the initial estimates. On December 26, a federal state of emergency regime was introduced due to the tanker accident.