The preliminary damage from the collision of two tankers in the Kerch Strait could reach $14 billion, reported Ukraine's Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Svitlana Hrynchuk.
"If we apply our methodologies for calculating losses, and if the volume of these products exceeds 4,000 tons, then the losses would already amount to $14 billion for the Black Sea area," she stated during a telethon broadcast of "Unified News."
Svitlana Hrynchuk, Romania's Minister of Environment, Waters, and Forests Mircea Fechet, and Bulgaria's Acting Minister of Environment and Water Petar Dimitrov exchanged available information and coordinated their next actions. However, according to her, only after the weather improves can they discuss acquiring quality satellite images necessary for analyzing the situation and more detailed modeling. Hrynchuk mentioned that they, along with the ministers, have already agreed to conduct continuous monitoring and modeling of pollution spread.
She identified key threats as the pollution of coastal ecosystems and the risk of oil slicks affecting other areas of the Crimean coastline.
As reported by the press service of the agency, appeals have already been prepared to the Secretariat of the Black Sea Commission for the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution regarding the incident, along with a proposal to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Commission and conduct an independent assessment of the water, sediment, and marine ecosystem conditions. Additionally, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Infrastructure, appeals have been prepared to relevant UN conventions, UNEP, UNESCO, the European Union, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Earlier on Sunday, reports emerged about two tankers, "Volgoneft 212" and "Volgoneft 239," sinking in the Kerch Strait. There were 13 and 14 crew members aboard the respective tankers. Rescuers evacuated 13 crew members from "Volgoneft 212," but one of them died. The tankers were transporting fuel oil. An oil spill has been detected in the sea.