Fuel oil from Russian tankers reached shores of Odesa region. PHOTO
Today, on 24 January, the first signs of contamination with Russian fuel oil from tankers were found on beaches in the Odesa region. The fuel oil stains were found a few meters from the coastline.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Ivan Rusev, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Head of the Research Department of the Tuzly Estuaries National Nature Park.
He noted that fuel oil stains were found on the sandy embankment in the Katranka recreational area near the Danube Biosphere Reserve in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district.
"The consequences of such environmental disasters have no bounds, and the thousands of tonnes of fuel oil that have been released into the sea will cause great harm to the Black Sea's natural ecosystems and biodiversity," the scientist said.
Rusev said that the national park team is currently inspecting various areas of the spillway and will inform about the extent of the pollution.
The accident of Russian tankers
On 15 December, two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, began to sink near the coast in the Kerch Strait. The accident was caused by a severe storm. One of the tankers was cut almost in half by the waves.
On 21 December, a state of emergency was declared in Kerch because of fuel oil from Russian tankers that had been shipwrecked in the Kerch Strait.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Environment noted that fuel oil could reach the Sea of Azov by 27-29 December. Protected areas, including the Opuk Nature Reserve and the Cape Takil Landscape Park, are under threat.
On 27 December, it became known that Russian President Vladimir Putin had declared a state of emergency of federal significance due to a fuel oil spill in the Black Sea after two tankers crashed.
On 4 January 2025, a state of emergency of regional significance was declared in Sevastopol in the occupied Crimea due to fuel oil spills found on the shore.
On the morning of 11 January, it became known that at least 60 dolphins had died as a result of a fuel oil spill in the Black Sea.
On 13 January, a concentrated oil slick of 300 square kilometers was spotted in the Sea of Azov in the Kerch Strait, stretching for almost 100 kilometers along the Bilosaray Bay.
