It was decided to cover the bow of the Volgoneft-239 tanker and the Volgoneft-212 vessel, which was broken in half, with sarcophagi, Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev said at a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with members of the government. The ships sank during a storm in December 2024.

According to the latest information that appeared in March, the stern of the Volgoneft-239 was completely cut. The tanker ran aground near Cape Panagia.

Now we have cleared everything there – we have practically nothing left on the surface , Savelyev explained.

He added that only three parts are on the surface – the “bows” of both tankers and the stern of the Volgoneft-212. About 3,919 tons of fuel oil were also recorded after the leak of petroleum products.

Experts analyzed the situation and came to the conclusion that it was necessary to use sarcophagi and cofferdams. This is necessary to maintain environmental safety, Savelyev added.

Later, fuel oil will be pumped out through special hatches. Then the process of recycling cofferdams and the remaining parts of the tankers will take place.

The opening of the tourist season in Krasnodar Krai, except for the city of Anapa, as well as in Crimea and Sevastopol in 2025 is planned in the usual mode. No deviations from the norm were found in water and air samples.