Russia continued efforts to contain an oil spill in the Kerch Strait.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) confirmed that it has been actively working to remove oil products from the affected area.

Two Russian oil tankers, the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, were severely damaged during a storm in the Kerch Strait, spilling some 2,400 metric tonnes of oil products into the Black Sea on December 15 of last year.

Authorities reported that the spill has spread across 60 kilometres, fouling beaches in Anapa, Crimea, and Sevastopol, and posing a serious threat to marine life.

Since the incident, 502 kilometres of coastline have been cleaned.

More than 163,300 tonnes of contaminated sand and soil have been collected, with 118,000 tonnes transferred to storage facilities.

Divers in Anapa and Temryuk have completed 5,530 descents, covering 4,800 square meters of seabed and recovering 381 tonnes of oil waste.

Unmanned underwater vehicles have inspected 7,400 square meters of seabed. Compressor stations are flushing fuel oil from sediments, and barges are being used to haul oil waste.

In Krasnodar Krai, 325 kilometres of coastline are under inspection. So far, 161,400 tonnes of waste have been collected. Across the region, 500 kilometres have been surveyed, 254 kilometres cleaned, and 885.2 tonnes collected in Crimea. In Sevastopol, 165 kilometres have been surveyed, with 849.73 tonnes of waste removed.

Declared a federal emergency, the cleanup operation continues in an effort to contain what has become a major environmental disaster.