Oil product residues were again detected near the Danube Reserve
23.05.2025 - 09:51
The coast of Odesa region continues to suffer from the consequences of the Russian accident in the Kerch Strait.
On the embankment near the Danube Biosphere Reserve, remnants of fuel oil from the accident of Russian tankers near the Kerch Strait were again discovered. This was reported by Doctor of Biological Sciences Ivan Rusev, writes “Suspilne”.
Over 100 kilograms of fuel oil residues were discovered on a section about 200 meters long. Part of the substance was previously collected, but a significant part is still hidden under the sand and from time to time comes to the surface under the influence of wind and waves.
“We found a section about 200 meters long, where there were several thousand fractions ranging from a centimeter to 6 centimeters. The fuel oil has been lying around since January and February,” Rusev noted.
Of particular concern is the potential reaction of fuel oil to increased temperatures. According to the ecologist, the substance begins to dissolve in water and enters the food chains of marine organisms, up to dolphins.
After the environmentalist’s public appeal, the municipal services of the Lymansk community and the environmental inspection arrived at the site and collected about 25 kilograms of fuel oil. However, Rusev is convinced that the cleaning was incomplete and plans to re-inspect the site.
The State Environmental Inspection of the South-Western District stated that “the information about hundreds of kilograms of unremoved fuel oil is not true.” According to the inspection, the bulk was collected back in February, and the new traces are the result of natural processes that remove residues from deeper layers of sand.
Context: Fuel oil residues regularly appear on the coast of the Odessa region after the accident that occurred on December 15, 2024 near the Kerch Strait. Two Russian tankers – “Volgoneft 212” and “Volgoneft 239”, built in the 1950s, were damaged during a storm. As a result, more than 4 thousand tons of fuel oil leaked into the sea.
As previously reported by USM, the losses from the fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait reach almost a billion dollars.
