Fuel oil from Russian tankers reaches shores of Azov Sea
Photo: collection of fuel oil-contaminated sand in Anapa, Russia (t.me/anapaofficial)
Fuel oil spilled after a Russian tanker accident in the Kerch Strait has reached the Ukrainian shores of the Azov Sea. Satellite images captured an oil slick near occupied Berdiansk, according to the Mariupol City Council.
A 300-square-kilometer oil slick has been recorded in the Azov Sea. Previously, Russia reported pollution along more than 14 kilometers of the Berdiansk coast.
"Given the currents and wind direction, the fuel oil will likely drift further toward Mariupol," the statement reads.
The Center for Investigative Journalism reported that as of January 11, the slick was located 10 km south of the Berdiansk Spit, stretching nearly 100 km along the Bilosarayska Spit. There is also a possibility of the oil drifting westward toward the Arabat Spit.
Satellite images from Sentinel-2 showed the slick reaching the Berdiansk Spit on January 10, 2025. By the next day, occupation authorities in the Zaporizhzhia region confirmed a fuel oil spill in Berdiansk and a small contamination site on the Peresyp Spit.
Photo: satellite image of the Azov coast near Berdiansk (investigator.org.ua)
Russia’s data on shoreline pollution may be understated, as in Crimea. It is likely that more fuel oil spills should be expected in the northern Azov region in the near future.
Fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait
In mid-December, two Russian tankers were damaged in a severe storm in the Kerch Strait. Initially, the oil slicks were located on the Russian coast, but eventually they began to approach the coast of the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Greenpeace Ukraine estimates that about 4,300 tons of fuel oil have been spilled into the sea. Russia is still unable to eliminate the consequences.
Read more in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
Earlier, 13 new pollution sites were discovered in the occupied Crimea in Kerch, Leninsky, Saksky and Chornomorsky districts.
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Svitlana Hrynchuk said that there is no threat to the Odesa coast so far. However, the spill has already killed more than 15,000 birds and 30 dolphins in the Black Sea ecosystem.
