By RIA Novosti
Moscow : The concentration of petroleum products in the strait linking the Black Sea and Sea of Azov is 50 times above maximum acceptable levels after a tanker split open during Sunday’s storm, Russian experts said Wednesday as authorities despatched special chemical absorbent to clean up the spill.
“Tests of water samples made by Russian weather service experts Nov 13 showed 2.5 milligrams per litre, which is 50 times above the acceptable concentration level,” the service said in a statement.
It said the storm in the Kerch strait had prevented experts from taking the samples until Tuesday.
In Sunday’s disaster, four more ships sank, and at least six sailors died. The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said earlier 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil had spilled into the sea, and fuel was spilling out. The sunken dry-cargo vessels have about 7,000 tonnes of sulphur on board.
Some reports said another six vessels ran aground and two more tankers were damaged.
“An examination of the shore of the Tuzla Promontory (in the Kerch Strait) showed that the entire coastline overlooking the Black Sea is contaminated with fuel oil. Oil products have penetrated 20-30 cm deep into the shore and have made a strip about 10 metres wide,” the statement said.
Experts also said the oil spill stretches 20-30 meters into the sea. They said storms would continue to wash oil products onto the shore.
Some 4,000 volunteers will help clean up the environmental aftermath in the area, the head of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Russia said. The WWF also called on Russia to adopt stricter laws on sea transport of oil in order to prevent future disasters.
Some 9,000 fish and 30,000 birds have been killed by the pollution in the strait, earlier reports said.