Russian officials say rescue workers have successfully removed almost 1,500 tons of oil stranded onboard a tanker that ran aground in December, sparking a devastating oil spill that has damaged miles

Freight rates for Russian ESPO Blend oil loading from the Far Eastern port of Kozmino have jumped fivefold amid a lack of vessels after fresh U.S. sanctions cut availability of tankers, three traders said and data showed.

Rescue workers have successfully removed almost 1,500 tonnes of oil left on board a tanker that ran aground last year in southern Russia, officials said. The mishap resulted in a devastating oil spill that damaged miles of coastline along the Black Sea.

A large-scale fuel oil pollution, likely caused by the sinking of Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait, has been discovered on the coast of Odesa Oblast. Source: Ivan Rusiev, a scientist and the head of the research department of the Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park,

Six Russian oil tankers still under construction by Russia's Zvezda shipyard were included in U.S. sanctions imposed last week, the first time Washington is known to have banned tankers before they even set sail,