Rescuers on Monday recovered the bodies of three sailors after a Russian freighter sank near the Black Sea. The Nakhichevan was one of two freighters that broke up as 18-foot waves and high winds battered ships throughout the region. As many as 10 ships sank or ran aground in the northern Black Sea region during the fierce storm, including the Volganeft-139, an oil tanker loaded with nearly 1.3 million gallons of fuel oil.

Nearly half its cargo spilled into the strait and was washing up on nearby shorelines in what officials said it could be the worst environmental disaster in the region in years.

After rescuing the Russian tanker’s 13 crew members, workers began what could be a long-term effort to clean up the spill. They shoveled the tar-like, oil-laden sands and seaweed into piles on the shore as slick-covered waters lapped at their boots. Oil covered birds could be seen trying to swim flap their wings.