Authorities in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region declared a region-wide emergency on Wednesday due to ongoing oil pollution along the coastline, 10 days after two aging tankers encountered trouble.
The oil spill resulted from a storm on December 15, causing one tanker to split in half and the other to run aground.
The pollution has severely impacted seabirds, dolphins, porpoises, and the coastal ecosystem around Anapa, a popular resort, with over 10,000 people working to clean it up.
Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratiev explained that he declared the region-wide emergency because oil continues to pollute the beaches in Anapa and Temryuk districts, despite earlier declaring a less severe municipal emergency.
Initially, scientists expected the majority of the oil to stay at the bottom of the Black Sea, but warmer weather has caused the oil to rise, leading it to wash up on the beaches.
A crisis center reported that the bow of one of the tankers, Volgoneft-239, was discovered underwater, and divers will inspect it for potential leaks as soon as weather conditions allow. In total, over 256 square kilometers of coastal area have been surveyed, and 25 tons of oil-water sludge have been collected.
