Russian Strikes on Odesa Port Trigger Oil Spill in Black Sea, Killing Birds
Russian attacks on port infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region have caused a spill of sunflower oil into the Black Sea.
The Gaze informs about it, referring to a statement made by Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration.
He said storage tanks containing sunflower oil were damaged during sustained Russian strikes on port facilities. As a result, vegetable oil leaked onto industrial premises, nearby roadways, and into estuary waters before flowing out to sea.
Emergency response efforts were severely constrained in the first 48 hours after the strike, as the port area remained under near-constant shelling.
Cleanup teams were able to work only intermittently, during breaks between air raid alerts, while adhering to strict safety protocols. Specialists gradually deployed floating boom barriers to contain the spill.
To prevent further spread of the pollution, authorities sealed off the port channel at Port Pivdennyi with two layers of booms.
A specialized fleet and vessels designed to collect contaminants from the water surface were brought in to support containment and recovery operations. The port’s waters have been temporarily closed until the spill is fully eliminated.
Wildlife has already been affected. Odesa Zoo has taken in birds contaminated by the oil for rehabilitation, Kiper said.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office also stated that on December 24, patches resembling vegetable oil were also found along Odesa’s coastline and offshore. Environmental inspectors are conducting on-site assessments and collecting samples for laboratory analysis.
Once the investigation establishes the full scope of the incident, authorities will calculate environmental damages and commission engineering and ecological expert examinations.
As The Gaze reported earlier, at least eight people were killed and 27 others injured after Russia launched a missile strike on a port infrastructure facility in Ukraine’s Odesa region late on December 19.
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