Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
(Reuters) – Russian rescue workers have cleared more than 86,000 metric tons of contaminated sand and soil from both sides of the Kerch coast following last month’s Black Sea oil spill, the Emergencies Ministry said on Saturday.
The oil spilled from two old tankers that were hit by a storm on December 15, one of which sank and the other capsized.
More than 10,000 people are working to spill the notorious, foul-smelling oil on the sandy beaches of the popular summer resort of Anapa and its surroundings. Environmental groups have reported deaths of dolphins, porpoises and seabirds.
The emergency ministry said on the Telegram messaging app that oil-tainted soil had accumulated in Russia’s vast Kuban region and Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Kiev in 2014.
The ministry released video footage showing dozens of workers in protective suits loading garbage bags onto excavators and others shoveling garbage from the sand.
Russia’s Transport Ministry said experts confirmed this week that about 2,400 metric tons of oil spilled into the sea, far less than first feared.
State media reported that the tankers, which were more than 50 years old, were carrying a total of 9,200 metric tons (62,000 barrels) of petroleum products when the accident occurred.
The spill consists of heavy M100 grade fuel oil that solidifies at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and unlike other oil products does not float to the surface, but sinks to the bottom or remains suspended in the water column.
