On February 4, 2025, new emissions of fuel oil related to the December tanker wreck in the Kerch Strait were recorded on the coast of Anapa. According to the operational headquarters of the Krasnodar Territory, traces of oil products were found on 12 sections of the coastline.
The operational headquarters' report specifies that pollution has been detected in the territories of Uspensky, Belorechensky, Mostovsky, Labinsky, Timashevsky, Pavlovsky, Apsheronsky, Abinsky, Starominsky, Slavyansky, Tikhoretsky districts and the city of Krasnodar. The priority task is to promptly clean these areas from oil products.
Let us recall that on December 15, 2024, an accident occurred in the Kerch Strait involving two tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239. Both vessels encountered storm conditions, which resulted in serious damage. Volgoneft-212 split into two parts, resulting in a spill of about 4 tons of fuel oil. One crew member died, the rest were evacuated.
Volgoneft-239 was also damaged and drifted until it ran aground near the port of Taman. All 14 crew members were rescued. Both tankers were carrying a total of about 9 tons of fuel oil, much of which spilled into the sea, causing an environmental disaster in the region.
Immediately after the incident, work began to eliminate the consequences of the spill. Specialists examined more than 1 square kilometers of water area and treated about 000 square meters of water surface. About 36 tons of oil-water mixture were collected.
However, despite the measures taken, fuel oil emissions continue to be detected on the coast. Volunteers and specialists regularly clean up contaminated areas. For example, divers work at a depth of about 8 meters near the village of Vityazevo near Anapa, removing fuel oil from the seabed.
Environmentalists are concerned about the long-term impact of the spill on the Black Sea ecosystem. Fuel oil that has entered the water causes serious damage to marine life and birds, and also has a negative impact on water quality and the condition of beaches, which could affect the region's tourist appeal.