Large-scale oil spill has been detected in Sea of Azov near anchorage of Russia’s ’shadow fleet’. PHOTO
A serious environmental emergency has been recorded in the waters of the Sea of Azov. Satellite images have revealed two large oil slicks in the area of the Akhtarsk Estuaries – a zone actively used by the Russian occupiers as an anchorage for their vessels.
The total area of the spill already exceeds 6.5 square kilometres, according to Censor.NET.
Details
The largest oil slick covers an area of around 4.7 square kilometres, whilst the second pollution hotspot spans almost 2 square kilometres.
According to satellite monitoring data, the environmental incident was caused by a leak of petroleum products or the deliberate discharge of contaminated bilge water from ships.
Why the Akhtarsky Estuaries in particular?
Russian military and civilian authorities have turned this enclosed body of water into a sheltered base for the temporary mooring of civilian and auxiliary vessels. The occupiers are attempting to hide their ships there in order to minimise the risk of them being hit on the open sea.
A threat of disaster for the entire region
Environmentalists warn that such spills are the result of Russian vessels being in a critical or emergency condition. Many of them have been at anchor for a long time without proper maintenance, including after sustaining damage.
In effect, the Russian Federation is turning the enclosed and environmentally vulnerable waters of the Sea of Azov into ‘dump sites’ for its dilapidated and ‘shadow’ fleet.
The inaction of the occupying authorities and their failure to comply with basic maritime safety standards pose a direct threat of a large-scale environmental disaster for the entire Azov region.
