Putin Asks To Accelerate Handling Black Sea Ecological Disasters Due To Russian Tanker Oil Spill

Russian President Vladimir Putin/PHOTO via Instagram @russian_kremlin

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin said there was still much to be done to clean up the oil spill in the Black Sea. Efforts so far do not appear to be enough to deal with ecological disasters.

The oil leaked from two old tankers after being hit by a storm on December 15 in the Kerch Strait. One ship sank and another ran aground.

About 2,400 metric tons of oil products spilled into the sea, Russian investigators said last week. Putin called this event one of the most serious environmental challenges that will be faced over the years.

When the disaster occurred, state media reported that the tanker that was hit by the disaster was more than 50 years old by transporting a total of about 9,200 metric tons (62,000 barrels) of oil products.

Since the spill, thousands of emergency workers and volunteers have worked to clean up tons of polluted sand and soil on both sides of the Kerch Strait. Environmental groups have reported the deaths of dolphins, dolphins and seabirds.

The Kerch Strait stretches between the Black Sea and the Azov Sea and separates the Kerch Peninsula in Crimea from the Krasnodar region of Russia.

Putin said at a government meeting that cleaning efforts were not well coordinated between regional and federal agencies.

"From what I saw and the information I received, I concluded that everything that was done to minimize damage was clearly not enough," the Kremlin leader told officials.

He asked for the formation of commissions to mitigate disasters and prevent leakage of oil products from tankers in the future