Over 90% of Bunker Fuel Collected in Krasnodar Territory, Crimea, and Sevastopol

© МЧС Краснодарского края / скриншот из видео

Efforts to eliminate the consequences of the environmental emergency in the Kerch Strait, caused by the tanker wreck in December 2024, have entered the final stage. The government commission coordinating the efforts, led by Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev, reported on the results achieved to date.

According to experts from the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and relevant authorities, more than 90% of the spilled bunker fuel has already been collected from the water area and coastline.

In March 2025, bunker fuel was pumped out of the stranded stern of the tanker "Volganeft-239," after which the structure was disposed of. The main volume of fuel from the bow of the sunken vessel was removed in October-November 2025.

To fully localize potential residual leaks from the sunken objects, a decision was made to install three specialized hermetic structures—cofferdams. Work on installing the second and third barriers is currently ongoing.

During this period, more than 185,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil masses have been collected in the Krasnodar region, the Republic of Crimea, and the city of Sevastopol, of which 160,000 tons have already been disposed of.

After completing the pumping of bunker fuel and installing the cofferdams, all remaining underwater structures and the barriers themselves are planned to be completely dismantled and disposed of in 2026.

Scientists and specialists are working on the most effective technologies for the final cleanup of beach areas in the Anapa and Temryuk districts.