Cleanup teams have completed the removal of fuel oil remnants from the ocean floor near the Russian resort town of Anapa, nearly a year after one of the most significant oil spills in the Black Sea, regional officials reported on Friday.
According to the emergency headquarters in the southern Krasnodar region, divers have cleared 19 locations along a 14-kilometer (8.7 miles) stretch of coastline extending from Anapa to the Taman Peninsula, where mainland Russia meets annexed Crimea.
Experts conducted over 21,500 dives, gathering nearly 22,500 bags of oil-contaminated waste that weighed over 2,000 metric tons, as stated by authorities. The oil was extracted from the seabed using shovels and suction tools to prevent it from washing ashore.
The December 2024 spill resulted from the sinking of two tankers, which discharged more than 4,000 tons of heavy fuel oil and necessitated extensive emergency measures throughout southern Russia and Crimea. A federal emergency status remains in effect due to the spill, and cleanup operations are ongoing in other affected areas.
A swimming ban is still enforced along the regional coastline, and officials caution that oil continues to leak from the wrecks, making containment efforts more challenging. At least 13 additional smaller spills have been reported in the Black Sea since the original incident.
