Russia hurries to clean up devastating oil spill along Black Sea coast

Volunteers worked tirelessly Friday (December 19) to clean up a massive oil spill along Russia’s Black Sea coastline, an event President Vladimir Putin has described as an ecological disaster.

The spill occurred after two aging Russian oil tankers were severely damaged during a weekend storm in the Kerch Strait, which separates southern Russia from Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014. One vessel split in half, killing a crew member, while the other ran aground.

On the shoreline, volunteers shoveled sticky oil and tar-covered sand into white sacks for removal, while black sludge continued to wash ashore.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. I can’t even really imagine it. It seems to me that nature will be affected for many decades to come,” said Tatiana, a volunteer. “Even when you remove the top layer of sand, there’s fuel oil underneath. It feels like nature will be affected for decades.”

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Efforts to rescue affected wildlife are underway. A rescue center has treated about 500 oil-soaked birds, including cormorants, but over 30 have died, said center head Evgeniy Vitishko. Volunteers carefully cleaned oil from birds’ feathers and used syringes to feed them.

The Kerch Strait, a key route for Russian grain and fuel exports, saw roughly 40 per cent of the tankers’ combined 9,200 metric tons (62,000 barrels) of oil spill into the sea.

Authorities have detained one ship captain on suspicion of violating maritime safety rules, while the other is under house arrest.

The disaster has impacted an area known for its diverse wildlife, including dolphins, and contaminated over 45 hectares of a protected nature reserve. Popular tourist spots such as Anapa, known for its sandy beaches, are among the worst affected.

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Russia’s emergencies ministry said more than 6,000 people, including volunteers, are involved in the clean-up, and over 3,300 tons of contaminated sand and soil have been collected.

With inputs from agencies