Quick Take
There is a terrible oil spill unfolding now in Russia (more precisely, in the Kerch Strait on the Crimean Peninsula, which connects the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea). While far away from Alaska, this incident is relevant for the Bering Strait and other parts of the Arctic for several reasons. It demonstrates that Russia continues to use aging vessels to transport fuel. The vessels ran into very stormy conditions, the hallmark of Arctic travel. Just like the Deepwater Horizon, this accident is occurring in a relative accessible region. People are trying to “rescue” oiled wildlife, but there are hundreds of dead birds already recorded, along with dead marine mammals. These vessels are leaking heavy fuel oil, a long-lasting and lethal pollutant for the marine environment. Russia continues to ignore the ban on using and carrying heavy fuel in the Arctic, a ban which was approved by the International Maritime Organization and (in theory) went into effect in July of 2024. I fear a similar situation may occur in the Bering Strait.
It's also important to remember that the accident is significant for Ukraine. This is another tragic example of Russia’s war wreaking havoc on Ukraine’s natural support systems. The Black Sea is an ecosystem shared among many nations. As a 2007 oil spill in the Kerch Strait showed, the oil slick will not stay in Russia but will pollute a broad swath of this region.
Some of my Russian colleagues have shared the view that typically, these old vessels – which are mostly used for transporting fuel via rivers – would not be put to use during the winter, because they are single-hulled and not appropriate for stormy conditions. However, Russia is trying to keep fuel flowing to the warfront, especially in light of Ukraine’s attacks on fuel storage depots.