The situation in the Kerch Strait has changed dramatically for the better

However, the situation has now changed dramatically for the better. At Cape Panagia, the dismantling of the remains of the Volgoneft-239 tanker is in full swing. The sunny beach seems clean, and only the frozen particles of fuel oil, reminiscent of coal chips, testify to the tragedy that has occurred. The sea is calm. Moreover, even from the side of the ditch of the embankment, designed to protect the beach area from pollution, the edge is clean. As well as on top of the rampart, there is a polypropylene net that catches even the smallest drops of oil products. It is changed, as a rule, every three days.

– Today we are sifting the sand from small fractions, the shore is already outwardly neat, and I think the resort will be ready for the new swimming season, – shares the chairman of TOS No. 3 of the Timashevsky district of the village of Sovetsky Lyubov Sergacheva, who regularly comes to Anapa as a volunteer. – Before, if you dug deeper, you would come across another layer of fuel oil, but now there is no such thing.

The situation on the central beach also looks optimistic. Again, the weather is favorable. You won't meet volunteers in the usual white protective suits here, but there are rare vacationers strolling.

Crimea also breathed a sigh of relief. There are no new emissions yet. The cleanup on the coast is mostly complete. Small spots of fuel oil remain on hard-to-reach wild beaches near Sevastopol. They are being cleaned by volunteers and city rescue service employees.

But that doesn't mean there's no longer a threat. The source of the pollution is lurking at the bottom of the sea. The wreckage of tankers that sank in the Kerch Strait is estimated to contain about four thousand tons of fuel oil. If no action is taken, the fuel oil will end up on the beaches again after another strong storm.

In addition, it is necessary to find a way to remove large accumulations of fuel oil from the seabed. When the water warms up, it will begin to float to the surface. "Concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in water can increase during periods of rising ambient temperatures," emphasizes Elena Tikhonova, PhD in Biology and head of the Chemoecology Laboratory at the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The sunny beach seems clean, and only the frozen particles of fuel oil resemble coal chips

And there is very little time left before the water warms up. "RG" asked the Marine Rescue Service about what the inspection of the sunken tankers showed, whether they are still leaking, whether preparations are being made to lift the ships and whether there are technical means for this… But we have not received any answers yet.

There are options for raising the sunken parts of Volgoneft-239 and Volgoneft-212, but an environmentally safe solution needs to be found. At a meeting of the government commission on February 14, it was announced that more than 200 proposals for eliminating the consequences of the disaster on land and at sea had been received from scientific institutions and industrial enterprises. Of these, 36 technologies were selected and ready for use. However, it is not specified which of them concern the sunken tankers. According to Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vitaly Savelyev, the commission will make its choice by the end of February.

Meanwhile, the tanker Volgoneft-212 was examined using the Khersones remote-controlled drone, developed by Sevastopol scientists. No fuel oil stains were found on the ship's hull or on the bottom near it.

The data received was forwarded to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. It will help in drawing up plans for further work with the tankers.