Black Sea Oil Spill: Russia Blames Ships

This satellite image shows slight cyclonic action in and around the Sea of Azoz and Black Sea, where as many as 10 ships were grounded or sunk.

Photo: NASA Earth Observatory

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As Russia prepares a criminal investigation related to the environmental damage, it has told the world that the leaders of shipping companies were responsible for death and destruction that resulted when as many as 10 ships that were grounded or that sank during a severe storm in the Black Sea Sunday.

They should have known better than ply the waters during such a fierce storm, was Russia's message, according to Lloyd's List.

At least five are dead, and dozens still missing, and the environmental toll from an oil spill is likely to claim thousands of birds, fish and other marine species in the waters off the coast of the Ukraine. Because the spill occurred close to land, it is expected to be particularly devastating to wildlife.

The storm, according to the NASA Earth Observatory, stuck both the Black Sea and the Sea of Azoz, which were blanketed by thick clouds during the storm.

"Over the Sea of Azov and immediately to the north, the clouds form a vague swirling pattern, suggestive of a low-pressure cyclonic system," according to NASA's interpretation of satellite imagery.

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