A new oil spill has been discovered in the Black Sea from a stricken Russian tanker

Fresh oil began to be dumped from a Russian tanker that crashed in the Black Sea on Friday, officials in Moscow said, as Ukraine warned of “serious environmental consequences” of the spill.

Heavy oil has been washing up on beaches hundreds of kilometers off Russia's southern coast and on the peninsula attached to Crimea since two storm-worn Russian tankers were seized in the Kerch strait on December 15.

One of the ships, Volgoneft-212, sank, and the other, Volgoneft-239, crashed and broke up.

“While inspecting the rear part of the Volgoneft-239 this morning, experts found oil debris of about 2,800 square meters on the beach,” the Russian Ministry of Transport said on social media.

The ship is on the coast near the port of Taman in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, across the Kerch Strait from Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Pictures published by the Russian clean-up team showed thick black fuel pouring from the ship stranded on the beach.

Russia said in early January that about 2,400 tons of mazut had spilled from two tankers, which were loaded with 9,200 tons between them.

Mazut is a heavy oil that is difficult to clean as it does not float to the surface.

– 'International irresponsibility' –

Russian President Vladimir Putin called it one of the “gravest environmental challenges” Russia has faced in recent years. Hundreds of birds and many marine animals died.

On Friday, Ukraine criticized Russia for failing to manage the spill.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy accused Russia of “international irresponsibility”.

By trying to “hide the negative environmental consequences” Moscow has left the entire Black Sea region vulnerable to collapse, he said.

More than 147,000 tons of contaminated sand and sediment have been removed from beaches in southern Russia and Crimea so far.

Oil slicks were found as far away as the Crimean city of Sevastopol, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the scene.

Maya Meshkarudnik, a volunteer trying to save birds covered in oil told AFP that the “smell of oil” hung in the air at her home, 15 kilometers from Anapa, the resort town worst affected by the spill.

Nearly four weeks after the incident, Putin on Thursday criticized the clean-up efforts of local officials — who rely on thousands of volunteers to shovel sand and soil from beaches.

bhu/jj