Volgoneft 239
The Volgoneft 239 was a small coastal oil tanker operated by Volgotanker.[1] She was built in the 1970s, and sank near the Kerch Strait on December 15, 2024. Another similar vessel, the Volgoneft 212 sank nearby, the same day.
Yet another vessel, the Volgoneft 109, sent out a distress signal, reporting she was taking on water, on December 17, 2024.[2] She was, however, able to make her way to a port safely.[3]
The Volgoneft 239 had a shallow draft, as it was designed to transit Russia's navigable rivers and the Russian canal system.
Sam Cogliano asserted, on February 19, 2025, that the reason the two tankers left the safety the canal system is that they were being used to evade the sanctions against buying Russian oil.[4] Oil was taken in these small Russian tankers to load other vessels to load larger vessels, on the high seas. This allowed the larger vessel's log to show they had not visited a Russian port.
Cargo
[edit | edit source]Together, the two vessels were carrying 9,200 tons of Mazut, a heavy oil product used in Russia.[5] Authorities estimate 3,700 tons leaked away, while the remainder may be able to be pumped from the sunken vessels.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑
Tom Bennett (2024-12-15). "Two Russian oil tankers wrecked in Black Sea's Kerch Strait". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2024-12-15. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
Video emerging on social media, which the BBC has been unable to verify, appears to show one of the tankers broken in half and sinking amid a heavy storm, with streaks of oil visible in the water.
- ↑
"Third Tanker Sends Distress Call as Oil Washes Up on Russia's Black Sea Coast". gCaptain. 2024-12-17. Archived from the original on 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
TASS news agency said the third tanker had issued a distress signal but its hull was still intact, there was no oil spillage and the crew was safe.
- ↑
"Putin's big problem. Russian tankers in trouble: Kerch Strait spill averted". MSN. 2024-12-19. Archived from the original on 2024-12-26. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
The Volgoneft 109, which broke down on Tuesday, was transporting 4,060 tonnes of heating oil. The incident occurred in the Kerch Strait, where, on Sunday, two other tankers suffered breakdowns: the Volgoneft 212 split in half, and the Volgoneft 239 ran aground.
- ↑ Sam Cogliano (2025-02-19). "Are Russian Ships Going Boom or Are They Just Falling Apart and Sinking?". What's Going on With Shipping? via YouTube. Retrieved 2024-12-25.
- ↑
"Damaged Russian ships spilled an estimated 3,700 tons of oil in Kerch Strait, state media says". ABC News. Moscow. 2024-12-16. Archived from the original on 2024-12-17. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
The two ships, the Volgoneft 239 and the Volgoneft 212, were transporting roughly 9,200 tons of mazut, a heavy, low-quality oil product. Social media footage from the scene showed a black liquid rising among the waves.