900 tons of fuel oil are moving towards the shores of Kuban.

A slick containing up to 900 tons of fuel oil is moving across the Black Sea toward the shores of Taman and the Temryuk district, Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev announced at a meeting of the Kuban Legislative Assembly on October 23.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in mid-October, volunteers and bloggers reported fuel oil spills following a storm in Anapa and the Temryuk district. Birds covered in fuel oil have again appeared on the shore. The Krasnodar Krai task force reported that the wet sand cannot be sifted, and mechanized sand cleaning has been suspended. The task force described the fuel oil spills as insignificant. Environmentalists believe it is necessary to resume large-scale coastal cleanup. .

At a meeting, Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported a critical situation: a 900-ton fuel oil slick is moving toward the coast of Anapa and the Temryuk District. Authorities have already begun preventative measures: in Anapa, they are restoring a 13-kilometer protective embankment along the main beaches. The decision was made based on an analysis of satellite images confirming the threat, reports BFM Kuban.

"Nine hundred tons are already heading toward the shores of Temryuk. That's all. That's the kind of time we live in. You can say different things, you can look for scapegoats, but there's no need. Because nine hundred tons of fuel oil are heading toward the shores of Taman. And in the summer, it was one million three hundred, and this is nine hundred. We simply need to clean it up, and the region's reserve fund will be used. Colleagues, think about it. It's a second episode, as I'm saying with these tankers," the publication quotes the Governor as saying.

In Anapa, a protective embankment is being restored to protect against possible oil spills during storms in the fall and winter. Nine kilometers of the structure are already complete. Work began on the night of October 22-23. In total, the embankment will be built for at least 13 kilometers along the resort's main beaches, the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters reported today on its Telegram channel.

"The purpose of the structure is to protect beach areas if a storm breaks out and the sea washes fuel oil onto the shore. Preventive measures were taken, in part, after studying satellite images that recorded a slick in the sea. Presumably, it could be an accumulation of oil products," the operational headquarters said in a statement.

"The information about a release of 900 tons is, according to preliminary data, significantly exaggerated. We are awaiting official announcements from the Operational Headquarters and confirmed data. We are monitoring the situation. If pollution is confirmed, the Dolphin team will be ready to act," volunteers from the Dolphin Headquarters wrote on their Telegram channel.

On December 15, 2024, two tankers with A fuel oil tanker sank in the Kerch Strait. A crew member of one of the tankers died as a result. Additionally, an oil spill occurred, leading to catastrophic environmental consequences, according to the Caucasian Knot report "Fuel Oil Spill in the Kerch Strait".

As a result of the environmental disaster, Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing) has declared 141 beaches in Anapa and nine beaches in the Temryuk District unsuitable for recreation. Fuel oil was found on all the beaches of Anapa, on the coast in the Temryuk district, and on the coast of the Sea of Azov in the Slavyansk district of Kuban, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "The extent of fuel oil pollution in southern Russia".