Fuel oil is seen on the shore near Russia's southern port of Kavkaz November 11, 2007. A Russian oil tanker split in half in a fierce storm in the Kerch Strait leading to the Black Sea on Sunday, spilling at least 2,000 tons of fuel oil. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    KIEV, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine and Russia set up a joint working group Tuesday to deal with the environmental disaster in the Black and Azov Seas.

    According to reports of the Intefax-Ukraine news agency, the working group will be headquartered in the ports of Kerch, Ukraine, and Kavkaz, Russia.

    The first meeting of working group will be held no later than Nov. 15, said a joint communique released after Ukrainian and Russian prime ministers Viktor Yanu kovich and Viktor Zubkov met in Anapa.

    The working group would be responsible for cleaning up the oil spill after a tanker broke up in a heavy storm in the Kerch Strait.

    It was reported that the Volgoneft-139 tanker released about 2,000 tons of oil into the waters. Local officials described it as an ecological catastrophe.

Storm smashes ships, causes oil spill in Black Sea

    BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- A vicious winter storm that whipped up six-meter waves in the Black Sea this weekend smashed a Russian oil tanker, three cargo ships and sank two barges, killing at least five sailors, according to media reports Tuesday.

    The Russian oil tanker split in half in the Kerch Strait leading to the Black Sea on Sunday, spilling at least 2,000 tons of fuel oil. Full story