( RIA Novosti ) - Russia has temporarily banned river-class vessels from sailing into seas, the Transport Ministry said on Sunday.
The ministry said Project 576 and Project 2188 river-class vessels are prohibited to sail into seas until the incidents with the Russian ships in the Kerch Strait between the Black and Azov Seas are investigated.
The November 11 storm in the Kerch Strait killed at least six sailors, sank four ships and split an oil tanker in two. The Russian emergencies ministry said 2,000 metric tons of fuel oil had spilled into the sea, causing serious environmental damage to the area.