12 Nov 2007 - Gland, Switzerland
– The full environmental impacts of yesterday’s
oil spill in the Black Sea would not be
known for some time, says WWF.
At least four ships sank, including one
tanker believed to have spilled more than
1200 tonnes of oil, and four others were
in danger of breaking up after a severe
storm hit the Sea of Azov and the Black
Sea on Sunday.
“This is a tragic incident because lives
have been lost, and there are some people
who are still missing,” said Guillermo Castilleja,
WWF International's Executive Director of
Conservation.
“We deeply regret this loss of life, and,
beyond that, all we can say at the moment
is it is too early to say for sure what
the environmental impacts will be.
“The ecosystem in this area has been degraded
in the past by other spills and pollutants,
and this latest spill will be a further
setback.”
According to reports from local ecologists,
the spill is already killing birds, and
as the oil settles to the sea bottom, it
will effect fish populations and marine
habitats. However, the impact on the environment
could have been less severe if local authorities
had made oil spill clean-up arrangement
immediately after the accident.
Three experts from WWF-Russia, highlighted
the need for a greater focus on safety.
WWF-Russia’s Director of Conservation Policy,
Dr Evgeny Shvarts, said: “WWF hopes that
the accident will lead to the adoption of
a law guaranteeing safety of oil operations
in seas and rivers, similar to the Oil Pollution
Act adopted in the US after the Exxon Valdez
oil spill in 1989.”
Alexey Knizhnikov, head of WWF-Russia’s
oil and gas programme, said: “The accident
is a natural consequence of the situation
when ships constructed for rivers sail in
the sea. In the Strait of Kerch, river vessels
and sea vessels change cargos, as sea vessels
cannot enter the Don and Volga rivers because
of small water draft. But vessels constructed
for rivers cannot stand strong sea storms."
Oleg Tsaruk, head of the WWF-Russia Caucasus
branch: “To minimize the consequences of
oil spills in the sea, it is important to
create a permanent Russian-Ukranian group
capable of coordinating emergency services
of the two countries. This agency should
not only be responsible for cleaning up
oil spills. Its main function should be
preventing potential accidents. Everyone
had been warned about the coming storm before
11 November, but there hadn’t been any strict
command to take ships with poisonous cargoes
to safe places.”
Moira O’Brien-Malone, Head of Media Relations
WWF International
+ More
Black Sea to take years to recover from
oil spill
16 Nov 2007 - Moscow, Russia – The oil
spill that wreaked havoc in the Kerch Strait
leading to the Black Sea last week will
take at least 5 to 10 years for the marine
environment to recover, says WWF.
According to WWF specialists, the 2000-tonne
spill has badly affected the local fishing
industry. Fish caught in the Kerch Strait
are not safe for consumption.
The spill has also threatened birds. About
11 endangered species inhabit the area around
the strait, including the Dalmatian pelican
and great black-headed gull, and many more
migrating birds will be wintering in this
area in the coming months.
Thanks to the efforts of clean-up crews,
including WWF staff and members, some birds
have been rescued. However, these activities
can only help save a very small percentage
of the thousands of affected birds. Two
dolphins have also been found washed up
on shore where clean-up operations are being
conducted, but their chances of survival
are slim. The Black Sea is home to common
and bottlenose dolphins.
“Although it is practically impossible
to completely eliminate the damage caused
by the large oil spill,” said Igor Chestin,
CEO of WWF-Russia, “we believe that to avoid
such disasters in the future drastic changes
need to be made in the oil transportation
system; oil pollution laws need to be enacted.”
To avoid such accidents in the future,
WWF and other environmental NGOs are developing
recommendations for the Russian government,
which include:
• Local volunteers should be trained to
respond to oil spills (WWF has already been
training clean-up teams on the Russian coast
of the Barents Sea for several years).
• Oil export via the river-sea corridor
should be stopped, and river vessels not
suited for marine conditions should be instructed
to enter ports.
• Russia should develop a legislative base
for oil spills, similar to the US Oil Pollution
Act adopted after the Exxon Valdez oil spill
in 1989, and should set up an independent
agency responsible for environmental protection.
According to Alexey Knizhnikov, head of
WWF-Russia’s oil and gas project, there
is a prepared draft law introducing the
“polluter pays” principle and environmental
insurance. However, they have not been approved
by the State Duma (Russia’s lower house
of parliament).
“If these draft law is approved, many problems
will be solved, as companies will feel more
responsible for the risks they take,” says
Knizhnikov.
“We hope that this accident will spur the
process in adopting these laws and creating
such an agency.”
Masha Vinokurova, Press Officer
WWF-Russia
