Admiralty Lawyer

In the Black Sea over the weekend, a huge storm sank or ran aground 12 different cargo ships, one of which was an oil tanker. The storm featured waves in excess of 18 feet. According to survivors, the storm just came out of nowhere. Officials in the area said that ships ignored the storm warnings that had been issued.

As a result of this storm, three sailors are dead. They washed ashore wearing life jackets and were apparently part of the crew for the Nakhichevan, a tanker that broke apart in the storm. In addition to the three deaths, 20 Russian sailors are missing. An oil tanker split apart and sank spilling in excess of 560,000 gallons of fuel oil into the Black Sea. Fortunately, the ship was carrying 4,000 tons of fuel oil and only spilled about a fourth of its load. The oil tanker’s 13 crew members were later rescued by rescue workers.

Russian prosecutors have already opened criminal investigations into the captains and owners of the ships for causing environmental damage. This event marks one of Russia’s worst marine accidents in recent years.

For more information about your rights while out to sea call 1-866-950-9000. An admiralty lawyer at Williams Kherkher will be available to answer any of your questions.