Satellite images show pollution in waters near Anapa

Satellite images covering the area where parts of the tankers with fuel oil sank show pollution of the water area with oil products, including near Taman.

"Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote that from July 25 to 29, the authorities did not record new emissions of fuel oil on the coast of Anapa, the authorities said. Volunteers, in turn, claim that emissions continue. On August 2, they called on those willing to help them with their work. On August 4, the volunteer headquarters confirmed that local emissions of oil products continue on the beaches of Taman. Over the past week in Anapa no new emissions of fuel oil were recorded, as well as during the previous week, the Kuban operational headquarters said on August 5.

An analysis of July images from two satellites from the area of the sinking of the emergency tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 was published in his Telegram channel by ecologist Zhora Kavanosyan. The images were provided by RiskSat.

The analysis used 15 images taken by one satellite from July 3 to 5, July 9 to 11, July 15 to 17, July 22, 23, 27 and 28, and 10 images taken by a second satellite on July 1, 3, 6, 11, 13, 16, 21, 23, 26 and 31.

"Plumes of film pollution are noticeable, emanating from the sites of the sunken tankers," Kavanosyan writes in his Telegram channel.

"The most flow is from the central point, slicks are present in all the pictures, less - from the southern point. Slicks <...> contain thick films, they spread over the sea surface and remain for a long time. At the same time, the longest slicks from the central point, their length is from 12-15 to 20-24 km, in the middle and end of June they were noticed near the piers of the port of Taman and at a short distance from the coast of Taman," he noted.

At the same time, the ecologist noted that from the analyzed pictures it is difficult to understand what kind of oil products are getting into the water area - light fractions of fuel oil, heating fuel or something else. "The observation zone is located in an area of intensive shipping and is heavily polluted with bilge water, leaks during fuel pumping, rain washouts, etc. That is why it is important to analyze the slicks that may have appeared in connection with the construction of cofferdams and pumping out oil products," he emphasized on August 5.

On December 15, 2024, two tankers carrying fuel oil sank in the Kerch Strait, which led to catastrophic environmental consequences. Details can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" reference "Fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait". Materials about the consequences of the fuel oil spill have been collected by the "Caucasian Knot" on the thematic page "Eco-disaster in Kuban".

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