Black Sea oil spill: Ecological crisis unfolds in Kerch Strait
Dozens of kilometres of coastline have been contaminated with fuel oil as a result of the disaster involving two Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait. Residents report animals dying in patches of fuel oil and beaches flooded with petroleum products.
According to the Izvestia Daily, both ships should have been decommissioned 10 to 15 years ago, and one did not have the required documentation.
Crisis centre and state of emergency
The disaster was reported by the governor of Krasnodar Krai, Veniamin Kondratyev. He reached out for help from "federal colleagues" and noted that two crisis centres were established to combat the effects of the oil spill.
"This morning, during shoreline monitoring, fuel oil patches were discovered. Petroleum products were washed ashore over a stretch of dozens of kilometres from the town of Vesiolovka in the Temryuk district all the way to the settlement of Blagoveshchenka in Anapa. On my orders, crisis centres were immediately set up in two municipalities under the leadership of local authorities. Currently, 267 rescue service personnel are working on-site, using 50 pieces of equipment. If necessary, we will increase the number of resources and manpower," stated the governor's communication.
Local blogger Yuri Ozarowski told the "Agency" in an interview that the scale of the pollution is much larger, and fuel oil patches are already visible in Anapa Bay.
"The patch is moving with the current towards the central beach. In a few hours, it will reach the central beach, to Anapa Bay. And it will be a colossal disaster because it will settle on the bottom there," he said.
"Pearl of Russia" flooded with fuel oil
According to the Azov-Black Sea Environmental Prosecutor's Office, petroleum products were found on the shore near Vesiolovka, the settlement of Blagoveshchenka, and at the mouth of the River Mezypse, confirming Ozarowski's reports. Residents are posting photos and videos of animals covered in fuel oil on social media. One of the recordings shows the "Pearl of Russia" beach flooded with fuel oil. According to the SHOT channel, over 4 million litres of fuel oil leaked into the Black Sea.
Due to the consequences of the oil spill in the Temryuk and Anapa regions, a local state of emergency has been declared.
Fuel oil is a heavy petroleum product that remains as a residue after the distillation of crude oil. It is a thick, oily liquid with a dark brown or black colour, often used as fuel in industry and transportation.
Tanker disaster in the Black Sea
Recall that on Sunday, 15th December, during a storm in the Kerch Strait; a disaster occurred involving the tankers Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239. As a result, there was a fuel oil spill, which – according to Greenpeace experts – may result in the largest ecological disaster in the history of the Black Sea. Preliminary data indicates that over 4 million petroleum products may have leaked into the sea (both ships carried over 9 million litres of fuel).
