The 136-meter Volgoneft 212 tanker, with 15 people on board, was split in half with its bow sinking, footage published by state media showed, with waves washing over its deck.
The Russian-flagged vessel, built in 1969, was damaged and had run aground, officials said.
“There was a spill of petroleum products,” said Russia’s water transport agency, Rosmorrechflot.
A second Russian-flagged ship, the 132-meter Volgoneft 239, was drifting after sustaining damage, the emergency ministry said. It has a crew of 14 people and was built in 1973.
Both tankers have a loading capacity of about 4,200 tonnes oil products.
Info on volgonefts, volgodons, volgobalts and similar russian river-sea saling contraptions.
When sailing on minibulkers/coaster around Europe 1989-1992 the minibulk seafaring community called the volgo-series "sea snakes " and they were well known having longitudinal strenght problems due to construction limitation. Under commercial pressures their masters ventured into waters and weather where they were not permited to sail from the construction point of view. Age and inadequate maintenance added to the problem.
“The two oil tankers that have sunk in the Kerch Strait were specialised river-sea vessels that should not have been operating at all, according to Russian sources” .
The author could do a lot better indicating what |" russian sources" .
TASS news agency said the third tanker had issued a distress signal but its hull was still intact, there was no oil spillage and the crew was safe.
RIA news agency said the tanker, Volgoneft 109, was safely stationed near the port of Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait, which runs between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Oil has made its way to the banks of the Kerch Strait following a series of tanker accidents involving old Russian tankers in recent days.
Footage posted on social media shows affected birds along a diesel-covered coastline on Monday after 3,700 tons of heavy, low-quality oil spilled into the stream that connects the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. More oil is expected to wash up along the coastline in the coming days.
Two cargo ships that are more than 50 years old were seriously damaged in a storm in the Black Sea over the weekend.
A third tanker belonging to the same company also suffered damage yesterday, resulting in the destruction of the hull and a crack near the bridge. The video footage shows that the ship leaks masut into the sea. All three vessels are ideal for river transportation, but not for the stormy conditions observed in the Black Sea in recent days.
