The tankers that sank were banned from entering the Kerch Strait in December. One of them had expired documents.
Important Stories gained access to documents from the tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239. Their classification certificates permitted the vessels to enter the strait no later than November—and only if maximum wind speeds and wave heights were observed.
The maximum wave height for Volgoneft-212 is Kerch Strait could not exceed 2 meters, and for Volgoneft-239—1,5 meters. The permissible wind speed limit was set at 24 m/s and 19 m/s, respectively.
But, according to the Ministry of Emergency SituationsOn the day of the tanker accident, waves up to 3 meters high and winds up to 24 m/s were recorded in the strait. Thus, the tankers sailed out to sea, violating virtually all restrictions.
In addition, the classification certificate for the Volgoneft-239 tanker expired two weeks before the crash, on November 30.
According to Chairman of the Maritime Trade Union Yuri KurnakovIn Soviet times, Volgoneft-type tankers were used only for river shipping because "The hulls of such ships simply break apart in severe sea conditions.".
December 15 in the Kerch Strait crashed Two Volgoneft tankers. The oil spill on the Black Sea coast has already been called an environmental disaster.