Scientists have noted progress in restoring the seabed of Anapa.

The restoration of the Black Sea floor after the fuel oil spill is "progressing at a good pace," said a leading researcher at the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Kuban authorities reported on the progress of the cleanup of a new oil spill following a drone attack.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," oil spills were recorded on Anapa beaches from April 11th to 16th. The Kuban task force reported that the spill sites have been localized, 247 tons of contaminated soil have been collected, and 229 tons have been removed.

An oil slick covering 10,000 square meters was detected one and a half miles from the port of Tuapse following the drone attack on the night of April 16. The slick's size was determined from a satellite image taken on April 19.

"Booms were deployed for containment. Six vessels from the port of Tuapse, high-speed boats, and oil skimmers were deployed to help clean up the aftermath of the emergency," the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters reported today.

The spill in the Tuapse River, where oil products also spilled after the April 16 attack, has been contained, officials reported. "750 meters of booms and five specialized collection devices have been installed, and an oil trap has been equipped," the statement reads.

Concurrently with the response to the new emergency, the fourth expedition from Skoltech and the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences began work at the mouth of the Mozhepsin River to determine the ecosystem's recovery dynamics following the fuel oil spill in December 2024.

Specialists are collecting bottom sediment samples, which will subsequently be studied in Moscow. Long-term laboratory monitoring of the samples will allow us to predict how soon the final consequences of the sea pollution "will no longer be discernible," said Philipp Sapozhnikov, a marine biologist and leading researcher at the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

According to the scientist, well-developed microbial communities, including microalgae, as well as macrobenthos—mollusks, crustaceans, and worms—now exist on the Black Sea floor.

"As soon as the fuel oil was removed, life began to recover, and recovery is now proceeding at a good pace," the task force's Telegram channel quotes him as saying.

On December 15, 2024, two tankers carrying fuel oil 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".

Materials on the consequences of the fuel oil spill have been collected by the "Caucasian Knot" on the page "Eco-disaster in Kuban".