Ecological disaster in the Black Sea

Thousands of tons of fuel oil spilled into the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea after damage two Russian tankers during a storm.

A release of fuel oil is observed on the coast of Anapa, large-scale pollution is reported in the area of ​​the Volna village on the Taman Peninsula, and 35 km of coastline on the Black Sea coast of Kuban is polluted.

Authorities have declared a state of emergency in several localities. writes euronews. Injured birds and animals are found on the shore.

Strong winds and currents will complicate efforts to contain the spill, experts warn, potentially leaving the coastline heavily polluted and making cleanup much more difficult.

Environmental organizations declarethat the damage caused by an oil spill from two Russian tankers, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, which sank on December 15 during a storm in the Kerch Strait, could have a devastating impact on the environment. In the area, environmentalists say any effort to clean up the environmental damage will pose a huge challenge.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced on Monday, December 16, that it had opened two criminal cases into possible violations of safety rules. The authorities have yet to assess the full consequences of the fuel oil spill, but, according to preliminary estimates by RIA Novosti, about 3,700 tons of this product leaked into the sea. On December 17, the governor of the Krasnodar Territory, Veniamin Kondratyev, wrote on Telegram that oil products had reached the shore.

“This morning, while monitoring the coastline, stains of fuel oil were discovered. Oil products washed ashore for several tens of kilometers,” the governor said. Local media also published videos showing black spots of what appeared to be fuel oil appearing on the beach, and birds covered in it trying to fly.

According to the head of Greenpeace Ukraine, Natalya Gozak, experts who analyzed the tracking data of the crashed tankers noted that such vessels are usually used to navigate rivers and coastal waters. Before the accident, both tankers turned off the global maritime automatic identification system (AIS). The latter was also confirmed by representatives of the Ukrainian Navy. It is possible that the tankers were used to deliver fuel for military purposes, Gozak suggested, adding that this version could not be verified.

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