Black Sea Oil Spill Expands as New Leaks Emerge from Russian Tanker

Russian authorities struggle to contain a month-old environmental disaster, with over 2,400 metric tons of oil spilled and new slicks detected along the Crimean coast.

• The oil spill originated on December 15, 2024, when two ageing Russian tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, were damaged in a storm in the Kerch Strait, resulting in over 2,400 metric tons of heavy fuel oil spilling into the Black Sea.
• New leaks have been detected from the grounded Volgoneft-239 tanker, creating a slick estimated at 2,800 square meters, while seven new polluted areas along the Crimean coast have been identified, spanning 14 kilometers.
• The spill has caused significant environmental damage, with hundreds of birds and dozens of marine animals reported dead, and oil slicks reaching as far as 250 kilometers from the original site, including the city of Sevastopol.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized the cleanup efforts as insufficient, as over 147,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil have been removed, while thousands of emergency workers and volunteers continue to work on the response.
• Ukrainian officials have warned that the spilled fuel oil could potentially reach the coasts of Odesa and Mykolaiv, accusing Russia of negligence and failing to prevent severe environmental consequences for the Black Sea region.

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Ukrinform