KRASNODAR (dpa-AFX) – After the tanker accident in the Black Sea, a captain was taken into custody for two months. He is accused of violating maritime safety and operational rules, Russian state news agency Tass reported.
The two tankers had an accident last Sunday in a storm in the Kerch Strait; one crew member was killed. The ships are said to have loaded more than 9,000 tonnes of heavy oil, of which more than 3,000 tonnes are said to have leaked into the sea.
During a four and a half hour question and answer session on television, the Russian President said: Vladimir Putin the incident as environmental damage and catastrophe. Almost 40 percent of the oil was leaked.
The head of the Kremlin has ordered the oil spill to be cleaned up in several stages, wrote Venjamin Kondratiev, governor of the Krasnodar region, on Telegram. Oil barriers would have to be laid, which has not been possible so far due to the weather. Then the oil must be removed quickly from the coast. Finally, a plan must be drawn up for spring, when oil rises from the bottom.
According to Kondratiev, more than 5,000 emergency workers and volunteers are involved in cleaning up the oil spill. So far, around 860 tons of oil have been collected./ksr/DP/mis