Ecologists date rally against bulk terminal in Tuapse to International Day of Black Sea

Each year, on October 31, all the countries of the Black Sea region commemorate the International Day of the Black Sea. On October 30, at a rally held in the city of Tuapse, ecologists and representatives of political parties protested against commissioning of the Tuapse bulk terminal of the Company "Evrokhim".

Let us remind you that Evgeniya Chirikova, the leader of the Movement to Defend Khimki Forest, specially arrived in Tuapse to participate in the protest action.

Before the rally, Evgeniya Chirikova stated that "Tuapse gradually turned into a fetid city, where people constantly enter hospitals." "The Black Sea is our common heritage. And the defence of the Black Sea is not just a matter of those people who live in the cities of Tuapse and Krasnodar, this is a problem of all Russians. There are not many places in the country where you can go to relax. Therefore, any normal person, who thinks about the future of the country, should be concerned of preserving the Black Sea coast," a blogger Oleg Kozyrev quotes Evgeniya Chirikova's speech in the video loaded in the online diary on the "Live Journal".

At the rally, the video from which was also loaded by the blogger, Valery Nikanorov, a representative of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, told the audience that the local media were unwilling to publish information of those people who were opposing the construction of the Tuapse bulk terminal. According to his story, the opponents of the terminal struggle with its construction since 2005, and they come to the conclusion that the current government is not interested in solving problems of the Tuapse residents.

According to a rally's participant, Russian officials and oligarchs do not spend their vacations in the Black Sea coast, and, therefore, they are not interested in preserving it. The protester called all ecologists to unite.

Pavel Petrakov, the leader of the organization "Union of Chernobyl Liquidators", said that he took part in a terminal loading test, during which its management wanted to prove that the terminal's work would not damaged the environment. "However, when I asked to name the chemical formula of the material, which they were loading and whether it was dangerous, no one could answer," stated Pavel Petrakov. He urged the ecologists to study these questions independently.

Denis Matveev, an activist of the "Ecological Watch", urged residents of Tuapse to file complaints against the Tuapse refinery and the bulk terminal, demanding compensations. "If we all file complaints, and the complaints are numerous and legally justified, it will give effect," stated the ecologist.

The activists and ecologists from the city of Novorossiysk also spoke at the rally of their struggle against the construction of the fuel-oil terminal in the city.

After the rally, the participants visited the Cultural Centre of Tuapse to watch the exhibition of photographs "Bright life of the Black Sea" and the exhibition of coast attractions under construction and to be restored.

After that, Evgeniya Chirikova and Evgeny Vitishko sailed by motor boat to the ship "Eugenia B", which was moored near the terminal dock for loading, and fixed to it the banner reading: "Let's save Tuapse!"

"The power agents, who were not provided with flippers and water mattress, failed to prevent the ecological dissent. Evgeniya Chirikova and Evgeny Vitishko sauntered along the promenade, which was crowded by fishermen and local residents. Everyone could clearly see what was written on the banner," said Oleg Kozyrev. According to his story, the activists turned the motor boat back just when a small longboat headed to them, and they were detained at the boat station.