Fuel oil from the sunken Russian Volgoneft tankers in the Kerch Strait has reached Odessa region, according to Ivan Rusev, Doctor of Sciences and head of the research department of the Tuzly Lagoons National Park.
After recent storms, the fuel oil was carried to the sandy spit near the recreational zone Katranka, close to the Danube Biosphere Reserve.
"The National Park team is inspecting the area to assess the extent of pollution, which already spans over a kilometer," as Rusev told Suspilne Odesa.
As of 10:00 a.m. on January 24, the Southern-Western District State Environmental Inspection had not received formal reports of pollution on Odessa’s coastline. However, local authorities, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the State Emergency Service are prepared to respond to potential emergencies.
The Marine Ecology Institute explains that the spilled fuel oil may settle on the seabed, remaining there for decades. Director Viktor Komorin warns of "secondary pollution," which could gradually impact marine ecosystems and accumulate in marine organisms. Storms or underwater explosions could dislodge the settled oil, releasing it back into the water as clumps.
The December 15 accident, involving two Russian Volgoneft tankers that broke apart, spilled up to 5,000 tons of petroleum products into the Kerch Strait, with an estimated 4,000 tons of fuel oil already in the sea. This raises the risk of a large-scale environmental disaster.
The ongoing Russian invasion has severely impacted marine ecosystems in the Black Sea. Explosions disrupt navigation systems of marine life, contributing to the deaths of at least 3,000 dolphins. Many die from starvation as they struggle to locate food.
The environmental and ecological toll of the invasion and the tanker spill highlights the urgent need for preventive measures and coordinated responses to mitigate further damage.
