The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Svitlana Hrynchuk, met with the Ambassador of Turkey to Ukraine, Mustafa Levent Bilgen. They discussed the consequences of the Russian tankers' accident in the Black Sea and Russia's violation of maritime law.
Svitlana Hrynchuk informed the ambassador about Ukraine's appeal to international institutions and communication with Romania and Bulgaria regarding pollution monitoring.
"The collection and analysis of radar images by specialists from UkrNTSEM, using Sentinel-1 satellites, as well as German and Spanish TerraSAR-X and PAZ satellites, continues. This includes forecasting pollution spread, considering current and forecasted meteorological conditions, as well as the type and amount of petroleum products," the Minister reported.
According to UkrNTSEM, the fuel oil that potentially reached the northwest shelf of the Black Sea is currently in the form of lumps due to the low water temperature. These lumps are gradually increasing in weight and sinking. With warming, the situation may change, so Black Sea region countries must constantly monitor the situation and respond to threats.
On January 13, an image was taken by the Spanish PAZ satellite near the western coast of Crimea, in the Kalamitsky Bay area. No possible fuel oil stains were observed.
On January 14, the Sentinel-1 satellite captured an image in the northwest part of the Black Sea. Black areas near Cape Tarkhankut could indicate the presence of fuel oil stains, with the length of this area being about 10 km.
On the same day, an image was taken by the German TerraSAR-X satellite near Cape Tarkhankut. The enlarged fragment also shows black areas that may indicate the presence of fuel oil stains.
The Turkish ambassador assured that he supports Ukraine's initiatives and will inform the Turkish side about the consequences of the accident and the position of the Ministry of Environment.
"Russia's violation of maritime law is systematic and requires intervention on the international stage. For many years, Russia has used river tankers at sea and today keeps official data about the accident isolated. This creates additional problems for Black Sea countries' participation in overcoming the consequences," Svitlana Hrynchuk noted during the meeting.
Ambassador Mustafa Levent Bilgen emphasized that protecting the Black Sea's ecosystems is a shared responsibility of both Turkey and Ukraine. No country in the Black Sea region is protected. According to the ambassador, a clear example of this is Turkey's fight against sea mines on its coasts. This is irrefutable evidence of the Russian war's impact far beyond the combat zones.
"I am glad to hear words of support and understanding from the Turkish ambassador. We are expecting extraordinary meetings of the secretariats of international organizations and preparing for an active joint fight for the Black Sea ecosystems," the Minister emphasized.
