Storm smashes Russian tanker
11/11/2007 18:06  - (SA)  

Captain runs ship aground 'Ship is going to break in two' Passenger boat disappears

Moscow - Five-metre high waves smashed a Russian tanker in half on Sunday, spilling 1 300 tons of fuel oil into the Kerch Strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, officials said.

Another cargo ship carrying 2 000 tons of sulphur sank nearby and its nine crew members were stranded on a raft amid 108km km/h winds in waters divided between Russia and Ukraine.

A third ship was damaged in the storm and a total of 50 vessels were being evacuated from Kavkaz, a busy commercial port in the Kerch Strait, about 1 200km south of Moscow, Russian news agencies reported.

Russia and Ukraine set up a joint crisis centre to deal with the situation and a Ukrainian plane and a Russian helicopter were on standby to fly to the area as soon as the weather allows, Russian news agencies reported.

 

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