A severe storm in the Kerch Strait damaged two Russian oil tankers, resulting in an oil spill and the death of one crew member, while rescue operations were delayed due to adverse weather conditions.

In the Usin district of the Komi Republic in Russia, there was an oil spill due to the damage to the pressure pipeline.

President Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency last Wednesday, several days after 21,000 metric tons of diesel leaked from a collapsed fuel tank outside the city of Norilsk.The pollution now risks running north into the Arctic Ocean.

The Icelandic coastguard coordination centre yesterday received a red oil pollution warning from the European Maritime Safety Agency. The warning was accompanied by a satellite image showing an oil slick some 50 nautical miles southwest of the Reykjanes peninsula.

The exact reason of the leak is yet to be established, but a statement from Norilsk Nickel company, which operates the site suggests it could have been caused - worryingly - by collapsing permafrost.