BLAGOVESCHENSKAYA /Krasnodar Region/, December 17. /TASS/. Over 1,000 people are involved in the cleanup of the coastline, including beach areas, contaminated after a large tanker oil spill, says Andrey Potakhov, Acting Head of the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s Krasnodar Region Main Directorate.

"Over 1,000 people have been brought in to help clean up. Licensed organizations have also been involved in the cleanup and subsequent disposal of oil products," Potakhov said.

The contamination area includes a swath of the Black Sea coast in the Anapa and Temryuk districts. According to Potakhov, oil patches spread across 35 km of the coastline.

On December 15, the Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 oil tankers were damaged in a storm. The Volgoneft 212’s bow was torn off, and the vessel ran aground. One of its 13 crew members was killed, and the others were evacuated. The deceased was a watch sailor, a 23-year-old native of Astrakhan. The investigative agencies have initiated two criminal cases. All 14 crew members of the Volgoneft 239 were evacuated later on December 16. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave orders on organizing rescue operations in the Kerch Strait. Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin established a working group to address the consequences of the incident.

The disaster resulted in a fuel oil leak into the Black Sea waters, the Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport reported. Earlier, experts told TASS that the oil slick threatening aquatic and coastal ecosystems was drifting northward. After reaching the Kerch Strait, it began moving toward the coast of the Krasnodar Region. Later satellite images showed another group of oil slicks located to the southeast of the scene, not far from the Temryuksky district and the resort city of Anapa. Earlier it was reported that the two tankers carried a total of about 9,000 tons of oil. Satellite monitoring data indicated a spill of about 3,000 tons of the product.