Kerch Strait, Russia – The Kerch Strait, a critical waterway linking Russia’s Krasnodar Krai and the Crimean Peninsula, connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. Spanning 41 kilometers long and 4-15 kilometers wide, it’s a vital trade route.

A catastrophic oil spill in December 2024 has triggered an urgent cleanup by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Two storm-battered tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, dumped at least 3,700 tons of mazut, a toxic heavy fuel oil, into the sea. The spill has spread over 60 kilometers, fouling beaches in Anapa, Crimea, and Sevastopol, and threatening marine life.

Since the disaster, 502 kilometers of coastline have been cleaned. Over 163.3 thousand tons of contaminated sand and soil have been collected, with 118 thousand tons moved to storage. Divers in Anapa and Temryuk made 5,530 descents, scouring 4.8 thousand square meters of seabed and retrieving 381 tons of oil waste.

Unmanned underwater vehicles inspected 7.4 thousand square meters of seabed. Compressor stations flush fuel oil from sediments, and a barge hauls oil waste. In Krasnodar Krai, 325 kilometers of coast are under inspection, with 161.4 thousand tons collected. In Crimea, 500 kilometers are surveyed, 254 kilometers cleaned, and 885.2 tons collected. In Sevastopol, 165 kilometers are surveyed, with 849.73 tons removed.

Labeled a federal emergency, the operation fights to contain this environmental catastrophe.

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