Oil spill reported following deadly cargo ship sinking in Black Sea

By Baird Maritime - March 6, 2023.

The Comoros-flagged general cargo ship Seamark breaks apart and sinks in the Black Sea off Novorossiysk, Russia, on February 21, 2023. The incident left one crewman dead. (Photo: Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations)

Authorities in Russia have reported an oil spill resulting from a cargo vessel sinking that left one person dead off the country’s Black Sea coast late last month.

In a recent social media post, the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources confirmed the discharge of diesel fuel following the breaking apart and sinking of the Comoros-flagged general cargo vessel Seamark in storm conditions off Novorossiysk on February 21.

The incident, which also left one person dead, caused an oil spill that ultimately stretched for over 1.5 kilometres. However, authorities have yet to determine the total volume of diesel that had leaked into the sea.

The vessel had around 7.5 tonnes of diesel in its fuel tanks when it sank.

Divers are continuing to survey Seamark‘s wreckage to determine whether the ship’s cargo of calcite had also spilled into the surrounding waters.