Two Russian oil tankers have been seriously damaged in the Black Sea, causing an oil spill, Russian authorities said.
Photos released by Russia's Transport Prosecutor's Office showed the bow of one truck broken, with oil lines visible in the water.
Both tanks are believed to have washed ashore before being washed ashore. At least one crew member is reported to have died.
The incident took place in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russia from Crimea – the Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.
A rescue operation involving tugboats, helicopters and more than 50 crews saw 13 crew rescued from one boat, before being called off due to bad weather.
14 crew members who were trapped on the second boat were also rescued, Russia's emergency ministry said on Monday.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of a task force, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev – and authorities are investigating criminal negligence.
Michelle Bockmann, an analyst at shipping industry Lloyd's List, told the BBC that the two ships belong to the Volgatanker company and are very small.
They were carrying about 4,300 tons of oil each, according to Russian officials quoted by the Tass news agency.
A barge used to trade Russian crude oil around the world has a maximum capacity of about 120,000 deadweight tons, Bockmann said, meaning the tankers may have been used to transport oil in Russian rivers or coastal waters.
The Kerch Strait is the main route for Russian grain exports and is also used for the export of crude oil, petroleum oil and liquefied natural gas.
In 2007, another oil tanker – Volgoneft-139 – broke apart during a storm while transiting the Kerch Strait, spilling more than 1,000 tons of oil.
Imports of Russian oil have been largely sanctioned by Ukraine's allies since the Kremlin ordered a full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
In recent years, Russia has been accused of using so-called ghost ships, which are often poorly maintained and lack proper insurance, to move oil and evade sanctions – although Bockmann said it did not appear that these tankers were involved in Sunday's incident. part of those ships.
Additional reporting by Joshua Cheetham
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