MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. The Volgoneft-239 tanker is being prepared for disposal after its wreck in the Kerch Strait, head of the Russian Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport, Rosmorrechflot, Andrey Tarasenko said.

"We are preparing to dispose of the Volgoneft-239 [ship]. The vessel is vented, degassed, flushed and steamed to provide for environmental safety. Divers of the Marine Rescue Service are surveying in parallel sunken fragments of Volgoneft-239 and Volgoneft-212 tankers at a depth down to 20 meters," Tarasenko said, cited by the authority.

Twenty divers are working at present to measure the residual metal thickness in order to evaluate hull strength and its load-bearing capacity. These data will be used to determine further action of vessel refloating.

On December 15, 2024, 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.