OREANDA-NEWS The number of dead dolphins after the tanker crash and the fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait has reached 84 individuals, director of the Delphi Scientific and Ecological Dolphin Rescue Center Tatiana Beley told Interfax.

"According to the latest data, 84 dolphins have been recorded whose deaths occurred after December 15," Beley said.

She noted that since the end of January, the number of discarded dead dolphins has decreased.

"So far, we cannot predict how many dolphins will die in the future. Cetaceans may have delayed effects: accumulated toxicants in the body can lead to a significant decrease in immunity and various diseases," Beley added.

On January 23, it was reported about 70 dead dolphins found after a fuel oil spill.

On December 15, 2024, fuel oil tankers Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 crashed in the Kerch Strait, resulting in a fuel spill. According to the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, four tanks with petroleum products were damaged in the crash, and about 2.4 thousand tons of fuel oil fell into the sea.

On January 10, a spot of petroleum products with an area of about 2.8 thousand square meters was discovered near the tanker Volgoneft 239, which ran aground near the village of Taman in the Temryuk district of the Krasnodar Territory.

Emergency regimes have been introduced in Kuban, Crimea and Sevastopol.