In images published by Russian media, a ship is seen to have capsized and broken in two – so that only the bow sticks up among high and oily waves. This is reported to have occurred less than a nautical mile from the coast.
According to Russian reports, 13 crew members were rescued from one of the ships, including by helicopter, but one person is said to have died.
The accidents occurred in the Kerch Strait, which lies between the annexed Crimean Peninsula and Russia, and separates the northern Black Sea from the Sea of Azov.
Large quantities of oil
One of the ships is called Volgoneft 212 and the other Volgoneft 239. Both are over 130 meters long and the two crews are reported to consist of a total of 29 people.
Both ships are reported to have been damaged. Volgoneft 212 has run aground and Volgoneft 239 is adrift in the sea.
"It is known that there are oil products on board the damaged ship, and information about the spill is being investigated", Russia's federal emergency agency reports via social media, where it emphasizes that measures are being taken to limit the leak.
According to reports in, among others, the daily newspaper Kommersant, it involves thousands of tons of oil.
Putin reacts
There is currently no indication that the emergency situation is related to the ongoing war. In the initial, unclear reports from Russian authorities and state-controlled media, bad weather and human error on the part of the crew are mentioned as likely causes.
In Russian state media, it is also highlighted that President Vladimir Putin has ordered a special task force in the Kremlin to oversee the various authorities' efforts.
