Part of fuel oil remains in tankers wrecked in the Kerch Strait

It is too early to say how much oil products got into the sea after the crash of Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait; some fuel oil remains in the wrecked vessels. This was stated by Russian Natural Resources and Environment Minister Alexander Kozlov on December 16.

"It is still too early to say how much oil products got into the sea. Part of the fuel oil remains in tankers that are on the seabed, and due to temperature conditions, the fuel oil remains on the bottom," he said.

According to him, the Maritime Rescue Service is preparing divers who will examine the remains of the vessels and, accordingly, will give their conclusion.

He said that patrolling will be organized not only of the water surface, but also of the coastline in order to react immediately in case of oil stains.

Breaking storm: two tankers in distress off the coast of Kerch

The powerful elements snapped both vessels in half

The day before, Russian tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 crashed due to bad weather in the Kerch Strait. There were strong squally winds and sea waves of up to seven points in that area. As a result of the wreck there was a spill of oil products. The tankers ran aground.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave orders to organize rescue operations. Thirteen people were evacuated from the first vessel: one of them was killed, 11 were injured, two of them remain in a state of moderate severity. In turn, all 14 crew members were also evacuated from the tanker Volgoneft-239 on Monday.

The prosecutor's office has started an investigation into the incident. The Russian Investigative Committee's Department for Crimea and Sevastopol has opened two criminal cases.