In the Black Sea, regional emergency declared after worsening oil spill

In the Black Sea regional emergency declared after worsening oil

Ten days after a storm that split an oil tanker in two and capsized another in the Black Sea, authorities in the Krasnodar region in southern Russia declared a regional emergency on Wednesday, December 25 . The oil, which has caused massive pollution of the surrounding beaches and a massacre of certain marine animals, continues to flow towards the coast.

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Sandy beaches covered in fuel oil, birds and dolphins seriously affected by this ecological disaster… the first assessment of the oil spill was significant, but the situation should have improved, according to the first calculations of the scientists assigned to the management of this crisis. The weather conditions decided otherwise.

Also readBeaches in southwest Russia hit by oil spill after two oil tankers sink

While specialists had relied on the fact that the main mass of fuel oil remains at the bottom of the sea, which would have made it possible to collect it in the water, the warming of the air in recent days has on the contrary favored the rise of petroleum products to the surface.

Driven by wind and swell, they ended their disastrous journey on the beaches of Anapa, a popular seaside resort, which prompted the governor of the Krasnodar region to declare a regional emergency when it was only municipal a few days ago.

A crisis center responsible for cleaning was urgently created. In total, more than 256 square kilometers of the coastal area have been surveyed and 25 tonnes of oil sludge have been collected to date.

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