MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that more needed to be done to clean up an oil spill in the Black Sea, saying efforts so far appeared to have been insufficient to deal with the ecological disaster.
The oil leaked from two aging tankers after they were hit by a storm on Dec. 15 in the Kerch Strait. One sank and the other ran aground.
Approximately 2,400 metric tons of oil products spilled into the sea, Russian investigators said last week, in what Putin on Thursday called “one of the most serious environmental challenges we have faced in years.”
When the disaster struck, state media reported that the stricken tankers, both more than 50-years old, were carrying some 9,200 metric tons (62,000 barrels) of oil products in total.
Since the spill, thousands of emergency workers and volunteers have been working to clear tons of contaminated sand and earth on either side of the Kerch Strait. Environmental groups have reported deaths of dolphins, porpoises and sea birds.
The Kerch Strait runs between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov and separates Crimea’s Kerch Peninsula from Russia’s Krasnodar region.
Putin told a government meeting that the clean-up efforts had been poorly coordinated between regional and federal bodies.
“From what I see and from the information I receive, I conclude that everything being done to minimize the damage is clearly not enough yet,” the Kremlin leader told officials.
He called for a commission to be formed to mitigate the disaster and prevent oil products from leaking from flooded tankers in the future.
Putin says more needs to be done to clean up Black Sea oil spill
https://arab.news/gtvz2
Putin says more needs to be done to clean up Black Sea oil spill
- The oil leaked from two aging tankers after they were hit by a storm on Dec. 15 in the Kerch Strait
- One sank and the other ran aground
Air Canada suspends Cuba flights citing airport fuel shortage
- Jet fuel shortage linked to US blocking Venezuelan oil exports
- Cuba historically relies on Venezuela for jet fuel supply
MONTREAL: Air Canada said it was suspending service to Cuba from Monday due to a lack of guaranteed fuel supply at airports in the country, where US pressure has created an oil crisis.
“It is projected that as of February 10 aviation fuel will not be commercially available at the island’s airports,” Air Canada said in a statement, announcing it would be sending empty flights to Cuba over the coming days to repatriate people already there.
Cuba warned international airlines that jet fuel will no longer be available on the island beginning on Tuesday in the latest sign of fast-worsening conditions as the United States moves to cut off the communist-run nation’s oil supply. The shortfall is set to last from February 10 through March 11, according to a Notice to Aviation (NOTAM) published late on Sunday, and comes just two days after top officials said air travel would not be impacted by a fuel rationing plan announced on Friday.
Cuba has historically relied on Venezuela to provide much of its jet fuel, but the Caribbean island nation has not received any crude or refined products from its top ally since mid-December, when the US moved to block the South American nation’s exports.
US president Donald Trump has since vowed Cuba would receive no more oil from Venezuela and has threatened to slap tariffs on any nation sending fuel to Cuba, effectively cutting off the island’s supply of aviation gas.
Such shortfalls are not new to Cuba and many airlines already have plans in place to deal with them.
A similar crisis last year, as well as others recently, have prompted many carriers to refuel in nearby third countries, including Panama, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
Most airline flights into Havana appeared on time and on schedule on Monday morning.
An early morning COPA airlines flight to Panama departed on time Monday, and several American Airlines flights were slated to arrive later in the day, airport officials confirmed to Reuters.
None of the major carriers servicing Cuba have yet commented on the situation.
