More than 30 whales have been found dead at sea after two oil tankers sank in mid-December in the Black Sea, a specialized non-governmental organization based in Sochi, southwestern Russia, reported today.
On December 15, two Russian tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, sank during a storm in the Kerch Strait, between Russia and the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014. The ships were carrying 9,200 tons of oil, of which about 40% may have spilled into the sea.
“We have recorded 61 dead whales, 32 of which have been found since December 15. Their deaths are highly likely linked to the oil spill,” the Russian NGO Delpha reported on Telegram, describing it as a “significant increase.”
“Almost every day, we receive reports of new deaths,” the organization continued. Delpha specializes in rescuing dolphins and other cetaceans along the Russian Black Sea coast.
According to the NGO, “the dead marine mammals are mostly whales,” and “judging by the state of the carcasses, most of these cetaceans likely died within the first ten days after the maritime disaster.”
“The pollution (of water from the oil spill) is significant,” it noted.
For about three weeks, authorities and volunteers have been conducting a massive cleanup operation, but the situation remains alarming.
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