Russian Tanker Spills 2,200 Tons of Oil
According to the USA Today, “A Russian oil tanker broke in two in a storm in the Black Sea Sunday, spilling some 2,200 tons of fuel oil into the Kerch Strait and posing a serious environmental problem, officials said. The tanker, Volganeft-139, broke about three miles from the shore. A regional prosecutor, said an apparent reason for the spil was its flimsy design, not built to withstand a fierce storm. Another Russian ship carrying more than 2,000 tons of sulfur also sank in the Kerch strait Sunday, but the cargo did not present an environmental threat, officials said.
According to the Miami Herald, “Massive waves split a Russian oil tanker in two during a fierce storm Sunday, spilling at least 560,000 gallons of fuel into a strait leading to the Black Sea. It was the worst environmental disaster in the region in years, and some officials said could take years to clean up.� The 18-foot waves also sank two Russian freighters nearby carrying 7,150 tons of sulfur. “In total, as many as ten ships sank or ran aground in the Strait of Kerch and in the nearby area of the Black Sea, and reports said three other sailors were dead or missing.� Officials say captains were warned about the stormy conditions and that the oil tanker wasn’t built to withstand a fierce storm.
The Miami Herald had pretty much all of the same information as the USA Today, just with more detail. Perhaps the Herald article is a follow up of what was published in the USA Today, or the USA Today took only parts of the Herald article to print.