Volunteers explored the seabed near Anapa, Russia, using an underwater drone and discovered that a huge amount of fuel oil had accumulated there, which, as the weather warms, will end up in Romania and Turkey.

A month ago, two tankers carrying fuel oil sank in the Black Sea during a storm. Volunteers explored the seabed in the area where the Volgoneft-239 tanker crashed and found that most of the fuel was still there. After the accident, part of the dangerous cargo ended up on the beaches of the Russian city of Anapa, and part was thrown onto the shores of occupied Crimea. This was reported on the page of the Russian project “Earth concerns everyone” on YouTube.
Volunteers said that they used an underwater drone to inspect the area from Anapa to Cape Panagia in the area of the Volgoneft-239 tanker accident on January 15. Lumps of fuel oil were found at the bottom of the Black Sea, which had sunk from the surface due to the low water temperature (currently about 8 degrees). When the water warms up, they may end up on the coast. It is unclear what to do with the settled lumps of fuel oil.
Meanwhile, the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences said that the fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait is the most serious environmental disaster in Russia since the beginning of the century. By the end of January, the fuel oil may reach the waters of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Some of the fuel oil has already been found on the beaches of occupied Crimea.
Volunteers who explored the seabed noted that due to poor visibility near the stern of the wrecked tanker, nothing could be detected.
"The water in this area is murky because the stern is being covered with sand, a dam is being built to prevent pollution from spreading, but we assume that there is a large amount of fuel oil there. The stern and the shore are fenced with boom barriers without a net," the volunteers reported.
They said that when they were on site, they lifted a diver who was covered in fuel oil onto the board.
"He probably worked right next to the building. So there's more than enough fuel oil there," said Oleksandr Yemelyanov, project manager.
Lumps of fuel oil were also found near the Buga Spit, approximately 40 km from Anapa.