Photos by Igor GOLUBENKOV (NGO: Saving Taman)
November 12, 2006, on Tuzla Spit
ENVIRONMENTAL WATCH ON THE NORTH CAUCASUS
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Taman Tries the Taste of Oil
Guilt for the environmental catastrophe in the Strait of Kerch
lies with the authorities in Russia and Ukraine,
as well as with the companies transporting dangerous cargo
On November 11, 2007 in the Strait of Kerch on the anchorage
area No.450, located in the maritime administration of the Kerch
PortТs (Ukraine) area of responsibility, and also on the Taman
Handling Complex located in the maritime administration of the
Ports of Temriuk and Kavkaz (Russia) area of responsibility, a
massive shipwreck occurred, involving dangerous cargo. The reasons
for the accident included stormy weather, the lack of technical
preparedness of the ships to work in such weather conditions and
the disdain of the shipsТ captains when they were warned of the
storms.
The first catastrophe befell the tanker УVolgoneft-139Ф at the
anchorage area No.450, which had 4.77 thousands tons of fuel oil
on board. It literally split in two. Then, within the span of two
hours, one after the other, three ships loaded with sulfur
sank: "Volnogorsk", which had more than 2.6 tons of
sulfur on
board; "Nakhichevan", with two thousands tons of
sulfur; and
"Kovel", with 2.1 thousands tons of sulfur.
In addition, the Tanker "Volganeft-123" sustained
damage, and
the barges "Dika" and "Dimetra," which were
carrying fuel oil and
were not self-propelled, were wrecked by their anchors.
Fortunately, these accidents, according to the most current
information, did not lead to oil spills.
A colossal environmental catastrophe has ensued. A significant
part of the shoreline of the Taman Peninsula is immersed in
petroleum products. The Tuzla Spit, the Chushka Spit - on the side
of the Strait of Kerch - and the beaches near the villages of
Ilyich and Priazovskii are completely covered in oil (see the
photograph in the attachment). On the coast of the Sea of Azov oil
has reached the Cape of Kammenyi. On the shore of the Black Sea
oil has reached the village of Volna on the southern part of the
Taman Peninsula.
The critical nature of the catastrophic situation is increased
by the fact that the region suffering is exceptionally valuable
and vulnerable from the ecological perspective. The Strait of
Kerch is a body of water of the highest fisheries category as it
is the migration route for fish between the Azov and Black Seas,
including many species that are included in the Red Book of the
Russian Federation and Red List of the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN). As a result of the oil pollution in
the sea, fish species have suffered colossal damage. Dolphins,
which are also protected in accordance with Russian and
International Red Books, also live in the polluted expanse of
water. The Taman-Zaporozhie Wildlife Preserve, which was created
in 1967, is also adjacent to the Strait of Kerch, and its natural
complexes have also suffered greatly. The entire Chushka Spit, the
whole western bank and southern end of which are covered with oil,
are part of this protected area, which was designated a specially
protected territory of the shores of the Black and Azov Seas by
the government of the Russian Federation in 1996, a standing which
has federal significance. The Wildlife Preserve was created, first
and foremost, to protect birds. Tens of thousands of birds have
already died as a result of oil pollution. And at least as many
are covered with a layer of oil and are destined for death. There
are no plans to save them.
Analyzing the reasons for what has happened, the representatives
of the authorities of Russia and Ukraine do not speak about the
main reasons for the catastrophe, which lie not with the surface
of the force majeur of the weather conditions and the mistakes of
the ship captains. For these reasons are their own decisions.
The roots of what happened lie with the fact that in 1999, in
the Strait of Kerch at the Russian Port Kavkaz, the Taman Handling
Complex in fact a new "floating" oil-chemical port, was
built,
through which petroleum products, sulfur and fertilizers are
transferred from small sized boats to those that hold many tons.
The Ukrainian Port of Kerch also began additional commercial
transport at the anchorage areas No.450 in 2001. As a result, a
large number of ships with dangerous cargo are always in the
commercial lanes of the Strait of Kerch. Thus, because of the
extremely difficult conditions for navigation in the Strait of
Kerch, such as shallow water, high winds (storm winds with a speed
greater than 15 meters/second are noted in the region on an
average of 28 percent of the days of the year), a lack of any kind
of natural shelter for the boats, the possibility of the rapid
formation of water spouts, an accident was bound to happen sooner
or later. Such an oil and chemical port should never have been
created in the Strait of Kerch.
The motivation for such a decision was the greater economic
benefit from transport of such dangerous cargo. Environmental
risks accompanying the commercial transfer of such dangerous cargo
through the Strait of Kerch were considered secondary. The
interests of private companies interested in transferring
dangerous cargo for state organs were considered to be more
important than environmental protection.
Therefore, effective systems to liquidate oil spills were not
created either in the Port Kavkaz or in the Kerch Port. These
ports were not equipped with the necessary technical equipment to
collect spilled oil. The Port Kavkaz does not even have the
ability to collect oil in the event of an oil spill, and
currently, there is nowhere to put the spilled oil, which will be
collected.
The authorities and the companies are also guilty because ships
were used for transport of dangerous cargo in the Strait of Kerch,
which were not technically suited for use in difficult storm
conditions. If they had not used them, the hull of the Tanker
"Volgoneft-139" would not have split in two.
The enormous oil pollution in the sea is, without a doubt, the
most serious consequence of maritime activity that has occurred in
the Strait of Kerch. But the seven thousand tons of sulfur that
are now lying on the floor of the strait also promise nothing
good. Further more, this sulfur is not in containers, as officials
are stating. It is lying in piles in the holds of the sunken
ships.
Because the storm in the Strait of Kerch is getting stronger,
there is no possibility to stop the flow of oil in the sea and
organize its collection and removal. The black oil stains are
taking over the entire marine territory and the catastrophe is
becoming bigger and bigger.
And thus, the ancient land of Taman has gotten a full taste of
what oil is. This is by no means economic prosperity, as many
investors have promised. It is dead birds and fish, a polluted sea
and beaches. The fuel oil left on the bottom of the sea will be
long remembered, and will continue to poison the regionТs maritime
ecosystem for many years.
The catastrophe in the Strait of Kerch should stand as a lesson
for the authorities in Russia. They are obligated to listen to the
opinions of the local population and to public environmental
organizations, who have tried to show them for the past ten years
that the Taman Peninsula is not a location for oil and chemical
ports.
Andrey RUDOMAKHA
Victoria KUCHERENKO
(Environmental Watch on the North Caucasus)
Translated by Kate WATTERS
(Crude Accountability)
Photos by Igor GOLUBENKOV (NGO "Saving Taman")
November 12, 2006, on Tuzla Spit
For more information:
NGO "Environmental Watch on the North Caucasus":
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NGO "Saving Taman!":
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