Tanker Spills Oil in Strait of Kerch

A fierce storm which has been battering the Crimea peninsula, Russia since Saturday, continues to inflict damage in the area. A total of four vessels, including a tanker and three cargo ships, have been wrecked in the Kerch Strait. The tanker, the Volganeft-139, which was split in two by the storm, discharged some 2,000 tons of oil into the sea, raising concerns of a major natural disaster. Numerous vessels, which have been unable to approach the port of Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait due to waves as high as six meters, have been waiting for the strong winds to subside.