MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. Fuel oil pump-out from the aft of the Volgoneft-239 tanker after its wreck in the Kerch Strait is scheduled for completion next week, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev said at the meeting held by President Vladimir Putin.
"More than 1,100 metric tons of fuel oil have already been evacuated as of 08:00 a.m. this morning, that is, 300 metric tons of fuel remain to be pumped out. We plan to complete fuel oil cleaning from the aft next week," Savelyev said.
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.