One person has died following damage to two Russian tankers in the Black Sea.
The Russian tankers were reportedly 'severely' damaged due to stormy weather conditions, reported the Interfax news agency.
Crews are being evacuated amid an emergency rescue operation. Russia has sent more than '50 people' and equipment, which includes Mi-8 helicopters and rescue boats.
The damage is thought to have caused an 'oil spill', reported Ifax.
A video shared on X details a portion of a tanker detached from the body of the craft, which can be seen submerging into the water.
Two Russian oil tankers, the Volgoneft-212 and the Volgoneft-239, are in distress in reasonably heavy seas 8 km off the Kerch Strait in Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimea. The bow of one of them, (Volgoneft-212?) has broken off. 4.3K tons fuel oil could spill. pic.twitter.com/MXFJq5SoxC— Euan MacDonald (@Euan_MacDonald) December 15, 2024
The caption on the video shared on X reads: "Two Russian oil tankers, the Volgoneft-212 and the Volgoneft-239, are in distress in reasonably heavy seas 8 km off the Kerch Strait in Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimea.
"The bow of one of them, (Volgoneft-212?) has broken off. 4.3K tons fuel oil could spill."
Two criminal cases have been launched by Russian investigators as they consider potential safety violations.
Crew in the video shared on X, some members of the crew can be seen wearing orange life jackets.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, a crew of 13 and a 'cargo of fuel oil' were on board the '136-metre' Volgoneft 212 tanker.
The Russian tanker was reportedly holding thousands of tonnes of oil – thought to be around 4,2000 tonnes.
The tanker is thought to have had its 'bow' damaged when it 'ran aground'.
Russia's water transport agency Rosmorrechflot said there was a "spill of petroleum products".
Officials also note damage to a second Russian ship – the 132-metre Volgoneft 239 – in the same area.
A 14-person crew are thought to be on board the second Russian-flagged ship, which carries a loading capacity of approximately 4,200 tonnes of oil products.
The two ships were badly damaged as a result of stormy weather in the Kerch Strait – located between mainland Russia and Crimea.
Crimea was annexed from Ukraine by Moscow in 2014, with the peninsula remaining a key point of political tension between the warring countries.
Serving as another contentious area, the Kerch Strait is a valuable global shipping route, providing a path from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.
News agencies referencing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov have said that President Vladimir Putin is communicating with the ministers for emergencies and the environment to deal with the rescue operation and reduce the impact of the oil spill in the Black Sea.
Statements from officials have not confirmed the cause of the damage to the tankers or the impact of the spill.
