Rescuers respond to an oil spill along the coast of the Black Sea, Russia, December 17, 2024. HANDOUT / AFP
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The oil spill which has affected south-west Russia and annexed Crimea since mid-December, following the sinking of two oil tankers, has reached Sevastopol, the largest city on this peninsula and base of the Russian fleet, announced this Friday, January 3, the authorities.
“A small oil slick measuring 1.5×1.5 meters reached Sevastopol today [ce vendredi 3 janvier, NDLR] and was discovered at the entrance to Balaklava Bay »underlined on Telegram the governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvojaev.
He added that he had ordered the slick to be cleaned up, accompanying his message with a video showing a black stain floating on the water. The city of Sevastopol, with a population of more than half a million, is the historic base of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea and a major tourist destination for Russians.
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According to Mikhail Razvojaev, “sporadic cases” Birds covered in fuel oil have also been discovered in other areas of Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. “So far, only a few birds have been found. If the situation worsens, we will deploy additional collection points and volunteers”he clarified.
Up to 40% of oil from tankers spilled at sea
On December 15, two Russian tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, ran aground during a storm in the Kerch Strait between Russia and Crimea. These ships were carrying 9,200 tonnes of fuel oil, approximately 40% of which may have spilled into the sea.
Authorities and volunteers have organized a large-scale clean-up operation, but the situation continues to cause concern.
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In southwestern Russia, new pollution has been discovered on the beaches of Anapa, a popular seaside resort, announced the regional organization responsible for dealing with this disaster.
“During the night of January 2 to 3, the sea carried away a new batch of piles of petroleum products”explained this organization on Telegram, publishing photographs of cleaners in protective gear, loading contaminated sand using shovels into plastic bags.
“First accident in the world involving “heavy” fuel oil”
Since the start of the oil spill, nearly 78,000 tonnes of contaminated sand have been removed from dozens of kilometers of beach on the Russian coast, but in total some 200,000 tonnes of soil may have been affected, according to authorities.
They say cleanup efforts are complicated by the fact that the type of oil spilled does not necessarily float on the surface of the water.
The Russian service in charge of sea rescues Morspassloujba stressed in a press release that this is the “first accident in the world involving M100 quality “heavy” fuel oil”.
“This type of fuel oil solidifies at a temperature of +25°C, its density is close to that of water and heavier, and, unlike other petroleum products, it does not float on the surface, but goes at the bottom »explained this source, according to which he “There is no proven technology in the world to eliminate it”.
By Le Nouvel Obs with AFP
