MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. The fuel oil that is left on the Volgoneft-239 oil tanker wrecked in the Kerch Strait will be pumped out by the end of January, the Russian Ministry of Transport said.
"Fuel oil from the Volgoneft-239 tanker will be evacuated by the end of January," the ministry informed.
Professionals completed building a temporary motorway to the shipwreck site and are close to completing an embankment around the aft side, making it possible to protect it from storms and allow fuel oil to be pumped from its tanks. It will be evacuated within two weeks, the ministry added.
"We continue to gather petroleum products in the water. The fuel oil at its stern and near the coastline has been contained with booms; it is being collected from the water using a barge and manually. 2,140 m of booms have been placed around the tanker. 1,236 metric tons of oil-containing mixture have already been moved from the stern; sealed gondolas will be used to transport it," the ministry said.
Two sites in the Krasnodar Region have been chosen for the disposal of the gathered fuel oil, in line with all environmental and technical requirements, the ministry noted. The first batch will be transported there by rail by the end of the day.
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 metric 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 metric tons of oil has leaked into the Black Sea, much less than initially estimated.