Kerch Strait, Russia – Emergency teams from Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations are working tirelessly to clean up a massive oil spill in the Kerch Strait. The spill has contaminated vast stretches of the Black Sea coast, prompting an urgent response.

Since operations began, workers have cleaned 573.4 kilometers of shoreline. Over 164,500 tons of contaminated sand and soil have been collected, with more than 134,000 tons transported to temporary storage sites.

In the resort city of Anapa and Temryuk District, divers are scouring the Black Sea floor daily, collecting mazut, a heavy oil product. They have completed 7,092 dives and used remotely operated underwater vehicles to survey nearly 7,500 square meters of seabed, gathering 439 tons of waste.

In Krasnodar Krai, 325 kilometers of coastline have been inspected, with 19 cleanup sites identified, spanning 214.3 kilometers. Teams have removed over 162,700 tons of polluted sand, soil, and pebbles from the shoreline.

In the Republic of Crimea, 500 kilometers of coast from Kerch to Portovoe have been surveyed, with 255 kilometers cleaned and 887 tons of contaminated material collected.

In Sevastopol, 165 kilometers of shoreline between Laspi and Andreevka have been examined, with 849.73 tons of waste gathered for disposal.

The cleanup effort continues as authorities race to mitigate the environmental damage caused by the spill.

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