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 authorities on Friday.
“A small oil slick measuring 1.5 x 1.5 meters reached Sevastopol today (Friday, editor’s note) and was discovered at the entrance to Balaklava Bay”, the governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvojaev, underlined on Telegram. He added that he had ordered this slick to be cleaned, accompanying his message with a video showing a black spot floating on the water.
>> Read also: State of emergency declared in Crimea after the sinking of two oil tankers in mid-December
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.
Birds covered in fuel oil
According to the governor, “sporadic cases” of birds covered in fuel oil have also been discovered in other areas in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. “For the moment, only a few birds have been found. If “As the situation worsens, we will deploy additional collection points and volunteers,” he said.
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, around 40% of which may have spilled into the sea.
New pollution in Russia
Authorities and volunteers have organized a large-scale clean-up operation, but the situation continues to cause concern. 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.
Since the start of the oil spill, nearly 78,000 tonnes of contaminated sand have been removed from dozens of kilometers of beaches on the Russian coast, but in total, some 200,000 tonnes of soil may have been affected, according to authorities.
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