- An oil spill of 117 square kilometers was created in the Black Sea near Anapa.
- A tanker south of the Kerch Strait is considered a probable source of pollution.
- Experts treated the oil spill with biosorbents and installed protective barriers near the coast.
An oil slick with an area of about 117 square kilometers has formed in the Black Sea northwest of the Russian resort of Anapa. With reference to satellite images and information from a team of environmentalists, the independent website Agentstvo.Novosti reported about it, writes TASR according to Novaja gazeta Europe.
The assumed source of pollution is a tanker anchored south of the Kerch Strait. “We consider two possibilities to be the most likely: that it was a leak during transshipment from tanker to tanker or that it was the result of a drone attack on a tanker,” said the coordinator of the non-profit organization for the protection of biodiversity and the promotion of sustainable use of natural resources, Igor Škradiuk. According to him, the leak occurred before April 10 in the southern part of the bay, where 30 to 40 ships are still located.
Experts treated the oil spill with biosorbents and installed barriers, but some of the heating oil reached the coast near Anapa and Viťazevo due to strong winds. According to RIA Novosti, the authorities reported the discovery of more than 200 dead and oil-covered birds. The authorities’ post on the Telegram network was subsequently deleted.
Environmental activists claim that the oil spill has spread over a kilometer-long stretch of coastline. “I think this leak should be cleaned up within a week,” said one of the volunteers. They added that the current problem is the expected southwesterly wind, as subsequent waves could complicate the removal of pollution. They have already removed approximately 100 bags of contaminated sand from the most affected areas and the work continues.
“The most important thing is that the leak is only so (small) and the blob is still moving. The Maritime Rescue Service has activated all vessels and it is clear that they are constantly in the vicinity of the blob.” The entire Anapa Bay is currently under threat. For now, we are waiting, monitoring and working,” noted volunteers for the local newspaper Bloknot Anapa.
