Russia Declares State of Emergency in Crimea After Oil Spill
Russia has declared a state of emergency in the city of Sevastopol in Crimea, a region it seized from Ukraine in 2014, as workers continue to clear oil-contaminated sand and earth in the aftermath of a massive spill in the Black Sea last month.
The declaration of the state of emergency, which gives authorities more power to take swift decisions, was made by Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russia-installed governor of Sevastopol. The move was necessary to ensure the urgent elimination of new traces of minor pollution, Razvozhaev explained.
The spill occurred on December 15 when a storm hit two ageing tankers carrying oil products, causing one of them to sink and the other to run aground. Over 10,000 people have been working to shovel up viscous, foul-smelling fuel oil from sandy beaches in and around Anapa, a summer resort.
As of Saturday, more than 86,000 metric tons of contaminated sand and soil have been cleared, according to the emergencies ministry. Environmental groups have reported the deaths of dolphins, porpoises, and sea birds as a result of the spill.
The oil-tainted soil has been collected in the Kuban region in Russia and in Crimea, which has not been recognized as part of Russia by most other countries. The Russian emergencies ministry on Telegram published video footage of workers in protective suits loading bags of dirt onto diggers and others skimming dirt off the sand with shovels.
According to the Russian transport ministry, experts have established that about 2,400 metric tons of oil products spilled into the sea, a smaller spill than initially feared. The spill involved heavy M100-grade fuel oil that solidifies at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and sinks to the bottom or remains suspended in the water column, making it more challenging to clean up.