Wreckage removal of submerged oil tankers is nearly finished at 98%
In ongoing efforts to remove oil from sunken tankers, the Russian Federation government is making significant strides. The demolition work, focused on removing over 240 meters of the total volume from the sunken tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239", is progressing well, with the superstructures of the tankers having been demolished to over 98%.
The latest updates on this project were presented at a meeting chaired by Minister of Transport Vasily Savelyev. The meeting also discussed the installation of cofferdams, protective structures used for removing oil from sunken vessels. Work on driving piles for the future cofferdam site is ongoing alongside the demolition work. Each cofferdam will be securely fixed in place using piles driven around its perimeter to prevent any movement.
Once the cofferdams are in place, specialists will proceed with the full removal of oil from the fragments under the domes. The Russian Federation government has provided reports on the ongoing demolition work, cofferdam installation, and oil removal efforts.
It's worth noting that Russia has a long history of dealing with oil tanker wrecks. In the Anapa region, for instance, over 310 miles of coastline were cleaned after a sinking incident involving an oil tanker, at a cost of approximately $2.7 million.
While the exact progress of the oil removal process from these specific sunken tankers under Minister Vasily Savelyev's supervision is not publicly available, it's clear that the Russian authorities are committed to addressing this issue.
The HELCOM environmental program, which includes several countries in the Baltic Sea region, aims to address similar issues. However, the interest from Russian authorities regarding wrecks with high oil pollution potential seems low.
Despite this, the Russian Federation government is making a concerted effort to address the issue of oil-contaminated sunken tankers. Divers have already extracted approximately 1,500 tons of oil-contaminated soil, and over 177,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil have been collected.
In total, 793 kilometers of coastline have been cleaned as part of these efforts. The cofferdam installation is a crucial part of these efforts, and the Russian Federation government is confident that this process will contribute significantly to the removal of oil from the sunken tankers.
- The ongoing demolition work on the sunken oil tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239" is not only focused on removing the physical structure but also aims to remove oil, which is a key aspect of environmental-science and tackling climate-change.
- The Russian Federation government, in addition to managing the demolition process, is also making investments in the form of cofferdams, a crucial tool in the field of engineering, for the removal of oil from sunken vessels, which is tied to the broader topic of finance and the allocation of resources for environmental projects.
- The energy sector, specifically the oil-and-gas industry, faces a significant challenge in dealing with the consequences of oil spills, as illustrated by the ongoing efforts to remove oil from the sunken tankers, which directly impacts the environment and, by extension, the environmental-science field.
- As the cofferdams are installed and the oil removal process continues, it's evident that the Russian government is making strides in the industry, not only in physical demolition but also in the use of advanced technologies (such as cofferdams) to address environmental concerns, signifying a shift towards more sustainable and responsible practices in the oil-and-gas industry.
