Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticised the handling of a major oil spill in the Black Sea, nearly four weeks after the disaster began.
He announced the creation of a new task force to lead cleanup operations at the site.
The spill, which started on December 15, occurred after two ageing Russian oil tankers were caught in a storm off the Crimean coast. One tanker sank while the other ran aground, releasing approximately 2,400 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into the sea.
Since the spill, scores of marine mammals have been found dead, and an oil slick was observed on January 3 near Sevastopol, 250 kilometres from the initial site. The dense fuel oil has complicated cleanup efforts as it does not float on water, according to Russian authorities.
In a televised meeting, Putin described the spill as one of the most serious environmental challenges and criticised the response as inadequate.
“What is being done to minimise the damage so far is obviously not enough.
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“We need to create a commission, a command centre that works directly, on the spot, that is headed by responsible officials from ministries and agencies assigned directly to the site of the disaster,” he stated.
Hundreds of volunteers have been deployed to remove contaminated soil from beaches in Crimea and Russia’s southern coast.
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