Environmentalists have described the spread of petroleum products off the coast of Sochi.

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Sochi residents reported not seeing oil spills in the water or on beaches, as bloggers had previously reported. However, environmentalists noted that the film of oil products on the water can be so thin that it is not visible, but they can spread both along the coast and into the depths.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, on May 10, Sochi residents reported discovering oil spills in the Lazarevskoye area for approximately 200 meters. According to an ecologist, this is the result of oil pollution in the Black Sea in April.

Residents of the Black Sea coast from Tuapse to Sochi commented on May 17 to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about the discovery of traces of oil products on beaches.

Oleg Korshunov, a resident of the village of Shepsi (Tuapse District), said he regularly monitors the coastline and periodically takes the commuter train to Sochi. According to him, the distance from Tuapse to Shepsi is approximately 7-10 km. Further along the coast are Nebug (15-18 km from Tuapse), Olginka (about 25 km), Plyakho (35-38 km), after which the Lazarevsky District of Sochi begins from Magri.

From Tuapse and in Shepsi, the water is visible to be black, but after Shepsi to Adler, I did not observe this.

Korshunov said that when traveling by train towards Sochi from Magri, the following settlements pass: Shepsi - Makopse - Chemitokvadzhe - Lazarevskoye - Loo - Vardane - Yakornaya Shchel - Golovinka - Dagomys - Sochi. He claims that during the trip from Shepsi towards Sochi, he did not see any traces of pollution that he observes in Shepsi. "When you ride the commuter train from Tuapse, you can see a dark film of oil products in some areas near the shore. There's a lot of this film in Shepsi. I took the commuter train to Sochi to see for myself. But, to be honest, from the train window after Shepsi, I didn't see any cleanup work or beaches contaminated with this oil film. The water looked clean. The entire railway from Tuapse to Adler runs along the seashore, and from the window, you can clearly see whether the water is clean or not. So, from Tuapse and in Shepsi, you can see that the water is black, but from Shepsi to Adler, I didn't see anything like that," he said.

In his opinion, "the resort season is ruined" because traces of pollution remain in Shepsi and aren't being removed everywhere, especially on the "wild" beaches. "We have a lot of fuel oil in Shepsi; it's like a layered cake under the sea pebbles," Korshunov said.

A former employee of the Sochi Department of Resorts and Recreational Resources, Sergey Eremin , said that no one stays long in the department due to high staff turnover. Sergey himself didn't stay there for more than three months because he didn't want to participate in corrupt schemes to distribute beach areas among entrepreneurs and disagreed with the "role distribution" among employees in the department, where responsibility falls not on management, but on the lower echelons.

According to him, "the territory of Sochi's beaches is the longest in the world, stretching approximately 145 kilometers along the seashore from Magri to the border with Abkhazia." "Beaches are divided into municipal ones, which are leased to 'in-house' entrepreneurs; departmental ones, which belong to sanatoriums; and 'wild' ones, which are usually located between settlements and are completely unmaintained," Eremin explained.

According to local authorities, Sochi has approximately 180 well-maintained beach areas in four city districts: Lazarevsky, Central, Khostinsky, and Adlersky. That's over 40 kilometers of coastline where access is available, except for closed sanatoriums.

I didn't notice anything special either on the shore or in the sea, but when I got out of the water, all my white shorts turned black. Had to throw it away

According to Eremin, the starting point of Sochi's beaches begins after Shepsi and is called Magri. After his dismissal and the oil spill in Tuapse in early May, he visited the beaches of Magri, Chemitokvadzhe, Golovinka, Yakornaya Shchel, and Loo, but did not see any pollution on the shoreline or in the sea. "However, a friend of mine who lives in Chemitokvadzhe wrote to me: 'On May 9th, I went swimming at our beach. I didn't notice anything special either on the shore or in the sea, but when I got out of the water, all my white underwear had turned black. Had to throw it away,'" said Sergey Eremin.

According to him, all information about the real state of water quality in the sea is being hidden even from low-level employees. "Nobody has ever seen the Rospotrebnadzor test results, even though they regularly report that everything is normal. But it's impossible to see this 'normal' or test results anywhere," he added.

I found several rings and one earring, but I didn't see any fuel oil or petroleum products.

Magri resident Vladimir walks the seashore after storms with a metal detector, looking for jewelry lost by vacationers. "There was a small storm recently, so I went with a metal detector. I found several rings and one earring, but I didn't see any fuel oil or petroleum products," he said.

Anton Filippov is a resident of Ashe. He was at the beach on May 17th, exercising there. The beach was clean and free of petroleum products. "Sometimes you see small black pieces of dried fuel oil, but in small quantities. This fuel oil has already turned into stones and has been here since the Soviet era," he said. Golovinka resident Tamara said: "I was at the beach with my children, just walking, and I didn't see anything offensive. We don't have any petroleum products." I heard that oil products from Tuapse reached Sochi, but I didn't see anything myself."

We didn't observe any oil products on the rocks or in the water.

Vladimir and Vera Ivanov, a retired couple, live in the village of Lazarevskoye and go to the beach on Yantarnaya Street year-round "for their health." "Our central beach, Lazurny, is located in Lazarevskoye on Yantarnaya Street. It's also called the Central Beach of Lazarevskoye. It's located right on the embankment, near the intersection of Yantarnaya and Pavlova Streets. My husband and I go there every morning. We were there on May 17th. "We didn't see any oil products on the rocks or in the water," Vera said.

Dagomys resident Tatyana said she regularly goes to the beach but hasn't seen any traces of oil products. "I go to the sea every morning, but I haven't seen any fuel oil emissions from the accident at the Tuapse oil refinery, and there's no cleanup work on the beach either. The water is clean," she said.

Central District resident Alena Vedernikova noted that she goes to Riviera Beach in Sochi's central district with her children, and the water there is always crystal clear. "We were there on May 17th. "The water is very clean," she said.

Vasily Minin goes fishing at the pier in the seaport. He also reported that he rarely sees pollution, only spots moving from yachts parked in the port, but the city beaches in the area of ​​​​Primorskaya Embankment are all clean.

A thin film of oil products may not be visible on the surface of the water

Despite the fact that people may not see pollution, this does not mean that it is not there. Due to the nature of oil products, they turn into a thin transparent film, which poses a danger to both marine life and humans, environmentalists Igor Shkradyuk and Valery commented on the situation to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Brinikh.

Igor Shkradyuk also reported that he hasn't seen oil products on the beaches after the Shepsi station. "Oil pollution spreads across the sea surface under the influence of currents and winds. If the current is one way and the wind shifts, the oil products can be carried toward Sochi. With westerly winds, they move along the coast," he explained.

I saw a video of pollution in Chemitokvadzh. This, as far as we know, is the southernmost point it has reached. Further downstream, it may be dispersed and not be visible.

Shkradyuk noted that the pollution can be fragmented and not always visible from the shore. "I saw a video of pollution in Chemitokvadzh. This is, as far as is known, the southernmost point it has ever reached. "Further, it may be dispersed and not be visually detected," he said.

He also added that if the winds continue, the pollution could theoretically move further towards Adler, and some of the oil products will eventually settle to the bottom.

Valery Brinikh confirms Igor Shkradyuk's words that the oil products that ended up in the sea after the accidents in the Tuapse area do not form a single "spot", but are a thin film and individual fuel oil fragments that are constantly breaking apart and moving under the influence of wind and currents.

In the Black Sea, such pollution can spread along the coast over long distances, including in the direction of Sochi and Novorossiysk, depending on weather conditions. conditions

"This can be compared to a drop of oil in a plate of water: at first it holds together, but then stretches into a thin, uneven film. In the Black Sea, such pollution can spread along the coast over long distances, including toward Sochi and Novorossiysk, depending on weather conditions. Some of the oil products become virtually invisible, especially when the film is thin and the sea is rough. "This is why residents may not notice pollution, although trace concentrations may persist in the water," he said.

According to the ecologist, "the absence of visible stains does not mean a complete absence of oil products in the marine environment."

According to Brinich, oil spills in the Black Sea are dangerous not only for people who breathe in toxic fumes, but also for the long-term impact on the entire marine ecosystem. Even a thin oil film disrupts gas exchange between the water and the atmosphere, reduces oxygen levels, and damages the basis of the food chain—plankton and microorganisms. Coastal flora and small marine organisms are the first to suffer. Oil products settle on algae, rocks, and seafloor areas, where toxic heavy hydrocarbons accumulate. Particularly dangerous are fuel oil and tar fractions, which can persist in the marine environment for months or even years. Fish suffer both directly and indirectly. Eggs and juveniles are particularly sensitive to oil products: toxic compounds damage their gills and disrupt their development. Adult fish may migrate away from polluted areas, but this reduces bottom-dwelling species and food supply. For dolphins, the risk is primarily related to respiration and the accumulation of toxins. Marine mammals regularly rise to the surface, where the concentration of oil film is highest. Inhaling oil vapors and inhaling contaminated water can cause intoxication and damage to the respiratory system. Birds are one of the most vulnerable groups. Oil destroys the natural structure of feathers, causing them to lose their water-repellent properties and thermal insulation. Birds become hypothermic, lose the ability to fly, and often die from exhaustion or poisoning while attempting to clean their feathers.

As the ecologist notes, the main problem of the Black Sea is that it is a relatively closed basin with limited water exchange. Therefore, even localized oil spills can circulate in the coastal zone for a long time and have consequences far beyond the initial spill site.

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

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