One of the two Russian oil tankers caught in a severe storm in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, split in two and sank, while the other was damaged and drifted. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, 13 sailors on the sunken vessel, Volgoneft 212, were rescued alive but 1 person was found dead. Meanwhile, all 15 sailors on the drifting Volgoneft-239 oil tanker were evacuated successfully.
It was learned that the Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft-239 oil tankers, registered in the port of St. Petersburg, were carrying over 4,000 tons of oil to Crimea and that the oil had leaked into the sea, prompting the Russian Natural Resources and Environment Agency to take action.