A vicious winter storm slammed into the Black Sea coasts of Ukraine and Russia on Sunday, sinking ships and wreaking havoc ashore, the Interfax news agency reported, according to dpa. The level six gale at its epicentre near the Kerch Strait was producing waves in excess of five metres, and winds over 32 metres per second, officials at Ukraine Ministry of Emergency Situations. Three Russia-flagged ships were reported sunk within the strait itself, including the tanker Volnoneft-139 which broke in half while anchored. The stern portion of the tanker drifted ashore to the Russian side of the strait, with 13 crew members aboard. Three tug boats - one Ukrainian and two Russian - were on the scene attempting to bring the tanker's bow, that remained afloat, under control. More than 1,000 tons of oil were spilled. Clean-up crews had placed floating spill control fences around the slick by mid-afternoon, and a oil spill clean up vessel based in the Russian port of Rostov-na-Donu was reportedly en route to the scene, Petr Efimov, a port official, told Interfax. Two other cargo ships carrying a total 6,000 tonnes of sulphur sank near Tuzla Island, in the Kerch Strait's narrows. At least 12 crew members made it ashore safely, but it was not immediately clear from the reports how many other sailors from the two vessels were accounted for. An unreported number of sailors in apparent fair condition was floating on a raft, but the severe weather was hindering efforts to bring them aboard a rescue vessel, according to news reports. Danger of additional oil spills was posed by a barge carrying 3,000 tonnes of crude, and known to be drifting near Tuzla Island without power. Officials from Russia's and Ukraine's Emergency Situation Ministries had communication headquarters operational by mid-afternoon. The status of all ships in the vicinity - one of the most heavily-travelled waterways in the former Soviet Union - was not fully clear. At least one cargo ship in the Tuzla area was requesting assistance. It was not immediately clear whether the ship was the drifting barge sighted from ashore, or another vessel. Elsewhere a Russian dry bulk ship carrying agricultural equipment was driven ashore near the Ukrainian port city Sudak, some three hundred kilometres from the Kerch Strait. The crew evacuated the vessel safely, Ukrainian officials said. Another bulk carrier was in sinking condition in a bay near the Ukrainian port Sevastopol. The 17-member crew was evacuating the ship with the assistance of rescue teams. Two cargo ships, one Georgia-flagged and the other Turkey-flagged, were reportedly driven aground near the Russian port Novorossisk. A failed main engine and broken anchor chain, respectively, were responsible for the mishaps, a Novorossisk official said. The severe winds and driving snow knocked out power ashore in the port city Sevastopol, paralyzing public transport and leaving some buildings in the area without heating.
