Russia declared a regional state of emergency on 4 January in Crimea as workers cleared tons of contaminated areas in the Kerch Strait following an oil spill in the Black Sea.
Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russia-installed governor of the city of Sevastopol, said new traces of minor pollution required urgent elimination and declared a state of emergency in the city, Reuters reports.
Rescue workers have now cleared more than 86,000 metric tons of contaminated sand and soil. The oil leaked from two tankers that were hit by a storm on 15 December 2024, the Volgoneft 212 split in half in the Kerch Strait, while the Volgoneft 239 ran aground near the port of Taman.
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.