Black Sea oil pollution: ecologist explains consequences of Russian strike on port infrastructure
Kyiv • UNN
Due to the Russian attack on the port of Chornomorsk, 6,000 tons of vegetable oil spilled into the sea. Ecologists warn of a threat to birds and marine life due to the pollution.
Damage to vegetable oil storage tanks resulting from a Russian missile and drone attack on the port infrastructure of the Odesa region has led to the substance leaking into the Black Sea. Ecologists are already recording risks to the marine ecosystem and warning of possible long-term consequences.
UNN spoke with ecologist Vladyslav Balinskyi about the consequences of the incident for nature and people.
What happened
On the night of April 26, the Russian military again attacked the Odesa region with strike drones. The UAVs were directed at the "Chornomorsk" commercial port. A large-scale fire broke out, which destroyed a sunflower oil tank with a volume of 6,000 tons. The vegetable oil leaked into the sea and covered it with a huge slick. Its dimensions are 400 by 200 meters.
To contain the oil and prevent it from polluting the Black Sea waters, boom barriers have already been deployed. The inspection has already taken samples of seawater for laboratory testing.
The strike on the "Chornomorsk" port as a recurring incident: what previous experience teaches us
The UNN interlocutor – Ukrainian ecologist Vladyslav Balinskyi – recalled that similar incidents have already occurred in Ukraine before.
"We have already been through all of this. At the end of last year, they (the Russian military – ed.) already hit an oil terminal, and back then significantly more oil leaked from the 'Pivdennyi' port (located in Odesa – ed.). We saw the consequences: both the death of birds in large numbers and the death of hydrobionts during the winter period and in the spring,"
The ecologist emphasized that the previous incident had a significant impact on the environment, which allows for predicting the consequences of this spill as well.
Oil has entered the seawater: how it will affect the ecosystem
The specialist explained that vegetable oil is not a toxic substance in the classical sense by its nature; however, its negative impact on the ecosystem is determined by other properties.
"According to international classification, oil is equated to pollutants, specifically to petroleum. It may have a slightly lower level of impact, but not significantly,"
He explained that under the influence of solar radiation, oil changes its state.
"In seawater, under the influence of solar radiation, oil is capable of transitioning into another form — a harder one. It polymerizes, forms denser structures, and loses buoyancy, sinking to the bottom,"
It is in this state that it becomes dangerous for birds and marine inhabitants in the zone where a particular man-made disaster occurred.
"In the first stage, oil acts like petroleum — it forms a film on the water surface that limits oxygen access. Then it begins to settle on the bottom and affects hydrobionts (organisms living in water – ed.) physically,"
The ecologist added that it is in this form that the substance we use every day in our daily lives can cause the death of marine organisms.
"Polymerized oil clogs the gills, which can lead to mass mortality (of organisms – ed.),"
How the pollution of the Black Sea with oil will affect birds
The specialist paid special attention to the threat to birds in coastal areas.
"First and foremost, we must care for the birds, because the Sukhyi Estuary and the crossing are places of mass bird concentration. Swans, cormorants, grebes, and other birds are constantly there,"
According to him, the situation is complicated by seasonal factors.
"Right now, many birds are in their mating season, and active migration is also ongoing. Therefore, they are particularly vulnerable and defenseless,"
The expert noted that oil is more difficult to clean from bird feathers. Therefore, they are harder to save.
"It is virtually impossible to wash oil off birds the first time. It is necessary to perform three to four cleaning procedures, whereas fuel oil is washed off much faster,"
Will the oil slick spread to other locations
The specialist predicts that the pollution may spread towards protected natural areas.
"Most likely, all of this will be carried towards Zatoka, in the direction of the 'Tuzly Lagoons' National Nature Park. And we will see these consequences,"
The ecologist called for monitoring information from specialists working on-site and recording changes in the state of the environment.