Fuel oil spill by Russian tankers: Ministry of Environment reports on the situation on the Black Sea coast
Kyiv • UNN
Fuel oil clots were found on the coast of three communities in Odesa Oblast after the Russian tanker accident. The Ministry of Environment reports that there are no significant exceedances of oil product concentrations from Odesa to the Danube.
In total, clots containing fuel oil due to the accident of Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait were recorded on the coast of three communities in Odesa Oblast. Currently, no significant exceedances of oil product concentrations have been recorded at certain points along the coast from Odesa to the Danube. UNN reports this with reference to the Ministry of Environment.
Details
According to the study, the areas of the Kerch Strait, the southern and western coasts of Crimea suffered the most from pollution in Ukraine.
After January 15, there were no more oil slicks west of Crimea. This is because over time, the fuel oil that remained on the surface gradually sinks into the water. Due to the low temperature, it can form small clots that are carried in the water column. Over time, these clots settle to the bottom or are thrown to the coast by waves,
How does pollution affect marine life and birds?
Russian media report hundreds of injured birds and dozens of dolphins in the temporarily occupied Crimea and in Russian-controlled sea waters.
These animals suffered from oil pollution in liquid form (in the form of oil film).
There are currently no scientifically confirmed cases of marine animal or bird deaths related to fuel oil pollution in the territories controlled by Ukraine.
The Ministry of Ecology emphasizes that official confirmation of the death of birds and animals due to environmental pollution is possible only on the basis of acts and protocols issued by the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection and the State Environmental Inspectorate. If necessary, the samples taken by them can be transferred to research institutions for further research.
However, this fuel oil can harm organisms living on the seabed (benthic organisms), which are an important part of the food chain for many fish species.
Is there any oil pollution on the Black Sea coast under Ukrainian control?
In total, clots containing fuel oil were recorded on the coast of three communities in Odesa Oblast (Liman, Tuzly, and Serhiyivka), in particular:
- Within the Liman community, 170 kg of pollutants were collected; the share of oil products in it was 17.8 kg (10.5%)
- Within the Tuzly community, 0.95 kg of pollutant was collected; the share of oil products in it was 0.5 kg (53%)
- 109 kg of pollutant collected within Serhiyivka community
Is there any oil pollution on the Black Sea coast under Ukrainian control?
SEA. At the moment, no significant exceedances of oil product concentrations have been recorded at certain points along the coast from Odesa to the Danube,
However, it is noted that continuous monitoring of sea water quality is ongoing.
The situation on the coast
Starting on January 24, 2025, oil slicks were found on the coast of Odesa region. For verification, these contaminants were collected by representatives of the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Southwestern District (Mykolaiv and Odesa regions), who documented the sampling process. These samples were then transferred to the UkrNCEM for chemical analysis
The future: how to fully assess the long-term consequences of the accident?
Currently, there is no complete information on how oil products behave in the long term in the Black Sea. To this end, an international group of experts is working with the involvement of specialists from the Ukrainian Center for Environmental Monitoring and Energy and other scientific institutions. They are working on adapting modern international models, such as DELFT3D-PART and OPENDRIFT, to the Black Sea,
These models help to predict:
- how oil products spread in the water column,
- how they settle to the bottom (sedimentation process),
- how they decompose under the influence of microorganisms (biodegradation)
- and other physical, chemical and biological processes.
It is emphasized that Russia has not provided official information to Ukraine and other countries of the Black Sea region about the scale of the accident and its environmental consequences. This is a violation of the Bucharest Convention, which regulates the protection of the Black Sea from pollution.
Due to the lack of such information, it was difficult for Ukraine to quickly assess the extent of the pollution.
To understand how the pollution spread, experts from the Ukrainian Research Center for Marine Ecology (UKRSCEM) used satellite imagery, media reports, and mathematical modeling results. This made it possible to assess how oil products are spreading in the sea and on the coast.
Context
On December 15, two tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, crashed in the Kerch Strait. After the accident, fuel oil from the tankers washed up on the shores of Russia and the temporarily occupied Crimea.
