A poisoned and oil covered bird lies dying in front of local volunteers removing oil pollution from the Black Sea shore in the port Kavkaz, November 13, 2007. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)
Russian Oil Spill Devastates Black Sea Ecology (click here)
By Ivan Velinov
Epoch Times San Francisco Staff
Nov 14, 2007
Strong winds and waves battered more than 10 cargo ships last Sunday in the Kerch Strait waters of the Black Sea between Russia and the Ukraine. Four ships sank, one split in two, and another ran aground spilling thousands of tons of oil and sulfur in what could be Russia's worst environmental disaster in the last decade, say experts.
The fierce storm raged in the small waterway between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Surging waves as high as 16 feet smashed apart the Russian oil tanker "Volganeft–139" and spilled into the sea nearly half of the cargo of the freight ship laden with 4,800 tons (1.3 million gallons) of oil. Three other freight ships loaded with sulfur containers also sank, sending about 7,000 tons of sulfur into the sea....
Oil slick endangers birds in Black Sea - 2 (click here)
20:22
16/ 11/ 2007
(Adds details in paras 8-9)
MOSCOW, November 16 (RIA Novosti) - Birds are continuing to die in southern Russia following an oil spill in the strait that links the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, a bird protection organization said on Friday.
At least 2,000 metric tons of fuel oil spilled into the Kerch Strait when a tanker split open and four freighters sank in a storm on November 11, also causing the death of at least six sailors.
"In the region around the Chushka Promontory, for every 30-40 dead birds, only one can be found alive, although with no chance of survival," the Russian Bird Conservation Union said.
The conservation organization said the stricken area included an important area for 50,000 migrating birds, and that up to 10 species of endangered birds could be spotted there at different times of the year.
Earlier reports said some 30,000 birds had been killed by the fuel oil. Tests of water samples showed that contamination by oil products was 2.5 milligrams per liter, 50 times above acceptable levels.
The four dry-cargo vessels that sank during Sunday's storm had about 7,000 metric tons of sulfur on board. The sulfur is currently sealed in containers, however.
A local fisheries department said the costs of damage from the spill could exceed 300 billion rubles ($12 billion) and warned that the use of chemicals to clean up the area would only double the environmental damage, as it assists the spread of oil products.
A Greenpeace coordinator, Yegor Timofeyev, said fuel oil collected by volunteers on the shores of the Kerch Strait is being washed into the sea in some places due to a lack of equipment to load it into trucks.
The total area of spilled oil products in the Black Sea's Kerch Strait after Sunday's oil tanker disaster is over 100 square km, a representative of the Scanex space monitoring center said on Friday.
November 16, 2007
Kalamata, Greece
Photographer states :: This road is the main road from our village to Kalamata. While we don't often get cut off by snow drifts it does have interesting weather hazards of its own. The beach is normally a good four feet below the road and the shore at least ten feet away (on a calm day). While the waves have convinced me not to venture to Kalamata today it is the rocks that they hurl up at you that are the main problem.
The Associated Press
Published: November 10, 2007
ATHENS, Greece: Gale-force winds whipped across Greece on Saturday, shutting down ferry operations across the country and stranding weekend passengers.
Winds up to 100 kilometers an hour (60 miles an hour) lashed the country's long coastline, sending three-meter (10 foot) waves crashing into island breakwaters and boats tied up in port. Streets in some cities were flooded.
No major problems were reported, but one soccer match in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, was postponed because of high winds after a fan outside the stadium was injured by flying debris.
Torrential rains hit many parts of the country, especially in the north. The season's first snow fell in the central and northern mountains.
