Rosprirodnadzor head: If amount of damage from fuel oil spill in Kerch Strait not compensated voluntarily, we will recover it in court

MOSCOW. Feb 18 (Interfax) - Russia's Federal Natural Resource Use Oversight Service (Rosprirodnadzor) intends to assess the amount of damage from the fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait as soon as it becomes technically possible to do so, Rosprirodnadzor head Svetlana Radionova said in the Federation Council.

Radionova also said that if the ship owners do not voluntarily compensate for the damage caused, then Rosprirodnadzor intends to recover the amount through the courts.

"The damage will be assessed as soon as it is technically possible, as there are currently discussions regarding the remaining parts [of the vessel], discussions regarding the 239th [tanker], regarding removing [the fuel oil]. As soon as that is finished, we will be able to assess. We will have a clear-cut amount, and we will present it. Then our work together with the prosecutor's office [will start]. I know that our colleagues are already going to court with us, and we will of course, if the damage has not been compensated by then, we will of course collect it. This is our principal job," Radionova said.

On December 15, the Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 fuel oil tankers sank in the Kerch Strait, causing a fuel spill. Russia's Transport Ministry said that four tanks with petroleum products were damaged during the wreck, with around 2,400 tonnes of fuel oil spilling into the sea.