NOVO-OGAREVO, January 23. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed results of the work of the government commission on elimination of consequences of the tankers shipwreck in the Black Sea with the government.
"Several important and current issues and the first of them is about the work of the government commission on the response to the tankers shipwreck in the Black Sea," Putin said when opening the meeting.
The president turned the floor the Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev, who had been entrusted with becoming the head of the commission. The head of state also invited Minister of Emergencies Alexander Kurenkov, Minister of Natural Resources Alexander Kozlov, and Minister of Transport Roman Starovoyt to speak on the topic.
On December 15, the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 tankers were caught in a storm in the Kerch Strait area in the Black Sea. The Volgoneft-212 subsequently sank while the other ship ran aground. 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 has leaked into the Black Sea, much less than initially estimated.