Russian investigators have revised their assessment of an oil spill that occurred mid-December in the Black Sea, stating that it was smaller than initially estimated.
The spill occurred on December 15, when a storm damaged two aging tankers, one of which sank and the other ran aground. Approximately 2,400 metric tons of oil products spilled into the sea, significantly less than the initial estimate based on a tanker captain’s report. The tankers were carrying a total of 9,200 metric tons of oil products, Reuters reports.
Cleanup efforts have been extensive, with over 10,000 people removing viscous fuel oil from beaches in Anapa, a popular resort area. The spill involved M100-grade fuel oil, which solidifies at 25°C and sinks or remains suspended in the water, complicating cleanup efforts.
According to Reuters, the ministry explained that the spill involved heavy M100-grade fuel oil, which solidifies at 25 degrees Celsius and, unlike other oil products, either sinks to the bottom or remains suspended in the water column. They noted that no proven technologies exist to remove it from the water column, making shoreline collection the primary cleanup method.
