All news

No fresh oil spotted on beaches of Russia’s Krasnodar Region

Monitoring teams across the 41 municipalities of the Krasnodar Region inspect the coastal stretch every morning

KRASNODAR, January 16. /TASS/. Specialists have reported no new traces of oil on the beaches of the Krasnodar Region following a spill caused by a tanker accident in the Kerch Strait, the region’s operational headquarters wrote on its Telegram channel.

Earlier, authorities divided the affected area along Russia’s Black Sea coast into 41 sectors to conduct the clean-up operation. Workers continue to remove contaminated sand for disposal at specialized facilities, but the main remediation effort has been largely completed. In previous days, oil was detected at five locations, but on December 15, specialists observed fuel remnants at only one site.

"Monitoring teams across the 41 municipalities of the Krasnodar Region inspect the coastal stretch every morning. As of early January 16, no additional oil traces were identified on the beaches of Anapa and Temryuksky District," the statement reads.

The report further noted that delicate beach-cleaning operations, such as sand sifting, are still ongoing.

On December 15, the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 tankers were caught in a storm in the Kerch Strait area in the Black Sea. The Volgoneft-212 subsequently sank while the other ship ran aground. One sailor died, and the rest were evacuated. According to emergency services, the tankers were carrying about 9,200 tons of fuel oil. An oil spill occurred in the Black Sea as a result of the accident, and clean-up operations are underway. According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, about 2,400 tons of oil has leaked into the Black Sea, much less than initially estimated.