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The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources has received a response from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk’s appeal regarding the accident of Russian oil tankers in the Kerch Strait last December.
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the Ministry of Environment.
“On the eve of the UN Conference on Oceans, UNEP is ready to provide Ukraine with technical assistance in assessing the damage caused to the Black Sea ecosystem by this disaster. This will be an important step in overcoming the consequences of the accident,” the response reads.
UNEP also emphasizes that this work should be carried out in close cooperation with the Commission for the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution, which has the relevant mandate.
In addition, the UNEP secretariat is ready to cooperate with the International Maritime Organization to strengthen international control over compliance with environmental standards by ships.
The Ministry of Environment thanked the international community for its support.
“We continue to work actively to eliminate the consequences and prevent similar incidents in the future,” the ministry emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported, on December 15, 2024, Russian oil tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 sank in the Kerch Strait. As a result, more than 4,000 tons of fuel oil spilled into the Black Sea.
In the temporarily occupied Sevastopol, more than 90 tons of soil contaminated with fuel oil were removed after the accident of two Russian oil tankers in the Kerch Strait.
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