Black Sea Oil Spill Declared Regional Emergency as Cleanup Faces Major Challenges

Two Russian tankers spilled thousands of tons of oil in the Kerch Strait, creating an ecological disaster that could take years to resolve.

A powerful storm on December 15 caused two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, to sink and run aground in the Kerch Strait, spilling over 4,000 tons of oil into the Black Sea.
Russian authorities estimate that up to 40% of the tankers' 9,200 tons of fuel oil cargo has contaminated the sea and nearby coastlines, with 200,000 tons of sand potentially affected.
The Krasnodar region has declared a region-wide emergency as oil continues to wash ashore, impacting wildlife and resort beaches in areas like Anapa and Temryuk.
Scientists and environmental experts criticize the cleanup effort, citing a lack of proper equipment and heavy machinery, leaving volunteers to work with inadequate tools like plastic bags and shovels.
Experts warn that the ecological damage is severe, with cleanup efforts potentially taking up to a decade due to the complexity of removing oil from both the surface and seabed.