A Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of tonnes of oil products split apart during a heavy storm on Sunday, spilling oil into the Kerch Strait, while another tanker was also in distress after sustaining damage, Russian officials said.
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Russian investigators opened two criminal cases to look into possible safety violations after at least one person was killed when the 136-metre Volgoneft 212 tanker, with 15 people on board, split in half with its bow sinking, footage published by state media showed, with waves washing over its deck.
The Russian-flagged vessel, built in 1969, was damaged and had run aground, officials said.
“There was a spill of petroleum products,” said Russia’s water transport agency, Rosmorrechflot.
A second Russian-flagged ship, the 132-metre Volgoneft 239, was drifting after sustaining damage, the emergency ministry said. It has a crew of 14 people and was built in 1973.
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Both tankers have a loading capacity of about 4,200 tonnes oil products.
