The heightened readiness regime was introduced in Kuban after the fire on the tanker.
In the Krasnodar region, a "Heightened Readiness" regime has been in effect since October 13 due to the threat of oil product spills within the boundaries of Gelendzhik and Novorossiysk. Ecologists reported the spread of pollution to Anapa.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", volunteers discovered several birds on the coast of the Krasnodar region that were soiled with oil products after the fire on the Aframax Rio tanker. In Sochi, no oil product emissions were detected, and there were no affected birds, authorities claimed.
On the evening of October 6, the Aframax Rio oil tanker caught fire in the Black Sea near Sochi, after which beaches were closed in Sirius, and access to the embankments and beaches in Sochi was restricted. On October 7, the Ministry of Transport confirmed that the fire started after an attack by unmanned boats. Subsequently, authorities reported that no sea pollution was recorded after the fire on the Aframax Rio. Ecologists confirmed that there were no emissions on the shores yet, suggesting that the oil tanks were likely not damaged.
The heightened readiness regime is being introduced today in Kuban due to accidents that occurred as a result of attacks by unmanned boats on marine vessels in the Black Sea on October 6, RBC reported, citing a decree from the region's governor, Veniamin Kondratiev.
"Given the current situation, there is a threat of an emergency of regional significance within the boundaries of the municipal formations of the Krasnodar region, the urban district of the resort city of Gelendzhik, and the urban district of the hero city of Novorossiysk, the source of which may be an oil product spill," the document published on the official website of the regional administration states.
The heightened readiness regime is being introduced for management bodies and forces of the territorial subsystem of the unified state system for the prevention and liquidation of emergencies. In addition, according to the decree, the boundaries of the territory where an emergency may arise must be defined.
The Azov-Black Sea branch of the "Marine Rescue Service" has been recommended to take measures aimed at preventing oil product emissions onto the coastline.
Ecologists reported the spread of pollution to Anapa
Experts analyzed a new radar image from a satellite obtained on the afternoon of October 12. A comparison with the image from October 10 shows that the pollution has noticeably fragmented and spread further along the coast over the two days, informs today the operational ecological monitoring project "Transparent World".
Pollution traces are being recorded in the area of Novorossiysk Bay, at the offshore mooring devices, and further towards Anapa. The image shows individual elongated and torn sections of the polluted sea surface.
The project, citing a specialist's opinion, reported that in the afternoon, the wind in the area of Novorossiysk and northward will be directed towards the shore, which may affect the further movement of the pollution.
Ecologists also reported that earlier in the image from October 10, a large spill was detected between Arkhipo-Osipovka and Novorossiysk. According to preliminary estimates, it may be a consequence of the incident with the Aframax Rio tanker.
The Aframax Rio tanker was sailing under the flag of Liberia with a cargo of crude oil from Novorossiysk to India and, according to sources, was nearly fully loaded. Due to the intense burning of the oil, rescue vessels initially could not safely approach the tanker. Ecologist Georgy Kavanoyan pointed out that the Aframax Rio has a carrying capacity of 107 thousand tons, while the carrying capacity of the tankers that sank in the Kerch Strait, "Volgoneft", was up to five thousand tons each. According to his assessment, a significant portion of the oil could have burned during the fire, but there remained a risk of a large amount of oil entering the sea.