Collision of a Russian oil tanker in the Lena River, and dilapidated ships threaten real environmental disasters

Weather of Arabia - the local authorities in the Irkutsk region, southeastern Russia, imposed a state of rapid emergency, after a Russian oil tanker collided with another ship that was undergoing repair work in the Lena River, which led to damage to the tanker that was carrying huge amounts of fuel, and the leakage of quantities of This load in the river water.

And the governor of the Irkutsk region, Igor Kobzev, announced today, Tuesday, June 13 (2023), that a state of emergency was imposed around the region after the collision of the two tankers carrying fuel on the Lena River, and the leakage of gasoline into the water, according to what was published by Reuters, and viewed by the specialized energy platform. .

The governor of the region indicated that the authorities are still trying to estimate the extent of the damage that resulted from the collision of a Russian oil tanker, which was carrying about 138 metric tons of gasoline, with another tanker that was on its way, as the quantities that leaked into the waters of the Lena River are large, and are still unknown. known.

Russian oil tankers are worn out

The collision of a Russian oil tanker with another tanker sheds light on a recent report, published by the specialized energy platform yesterday, Monday, June 12, regarding the negative impacts on the environment and workers in the shipping industry, as a result of the transportation of Russian oil by sea on rickety tankers.

The report revealed the increasing number of ships carrying Russian oil, describing them as old and dilapidated, posing environmental risks, most notably the possibility of oil leakage into the seas and oceans and water pollution, according to what was published by the Financial Times .

The report quoted data from Braemar, a ship broker listed on the London Stock Exchange, as the share of Russian sea Urals crude exports, carried by ships over 15 years old, has increased since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

The report described more than one Russian oil tanker, carrying Urals crude to importing countries, as a "pile of scrap", explaining that over the 6 months preceding the Ukrainian war, the average percentage of old ships was 33.6%, and it has risen to 62.6% since last December. .

The Russian-flagged Volga River oil tanker Taganrog crosses the Bosphorus Strait. Photo courtesy of CNBC.

The report indicated that major oil companies usually tend to scrap tankers, that is, to retire them, after 15 years of starting their work. However, some ship owners, whom it described as “unscrupulous,” buy many of these “cheaper” ships to make profits.

He pointed out that with the increase in export operations due to the discounts that characterize Russian oil, especially to China and India, the transportation operations ended up in the hands of traders and owners of tankers working "without protection from risks", including collisions and oil spills.

It is noteworthy that the estimates of Premar Shipping Services indicated that the number of ships over 20 years old and over within the global tanker fleet could increase, reaching between 6 and 16% by 2025.

Source: attaqa.net