Russian Oil Tankers Collide After Captain Gets Drunk; Oil Spill Prompts State of Emergency

(Photo: Europa Press via AP)

A state of emergency has been declared in Russia’s Irkutsk region following a drunken oil tanker collision on Monday evening.

Governor Igor Kobzev announced over Telegram that a cargoless vessel crashed into a loaded oil tanker along the Lena River, the eleventh-longest in the world. The damaged container was carrying around 138 tons of gasoline. Amidst an ongoing investigation, authorities have announced that 60 to 90 tons were likely spilled into the river.

Kobsev alleges that the incident was caused by a drunken ship captain.

“According to the East Siberian transport prosecutor Denis Evgenievich Avdeev, the ship Yerofey Khabarov was controlled by the captain’s assistant. As shown by a medical examination, the captain, in turn, was drunk,” said Kobzev.

A passenger aboard one of the vessels managed to capture footage of the crash as it unfolded:

In the #Kirensky district of the #Irkutsk region, a state of emergency was introduced after the collision of two tankers on the Lena River.

As a result of the accident, one of the ships was damaged capacity, which transported 138 tons of gasoline. pic.twitter.com/14KVi8HIfH

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 13, 2023

Stretching 2,668 miles from the Baikal Mountains to the furthest reaches of Northern Siberia, the Lena River is a critical transportation passage within Western Russia. Though no one was injured in the incident, authorities have said that oil from the damaged tanker is rapidly spreading downstream toward populated communities.

Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources has reportedly arrived at the scene, monitoring the situation and preventing locals from using the water in affected areas. The Russian Investigative Committee has also opened a criminal case looking into the accident.

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