The Black Sea Oil Spill ‘Couldn’t Care Less About Our Borders and Politics,’ Say Experts

Experts warn of long-lasting consequences and the urgent need for coordinated action as the environmental catastrophe threatens marine life, human health, and regional stability

Two Russian oil tankers sustained significant damage last week during a powerful storm in the Kerch Strait, a critical waterway connecting the Black Sea and the Azov Sea. The storm caused a major oil spill, and the Volgoneft-212 tanker split in two and sank. The Volgoneft-239 tanker ran aground after drifting uncontrollably for several hours. The tankers were carrying more than 4,000 tons each of mazut, a heavy residual fuel oil.

Russian maritime authorities suggest that stormy weather conditions and possible crew errors contributed to the incidents. Complicating the situation, tracking data shows that both tankers had switched off their marine traffic monitoring systems 12 days prior to the accident, raising questions about their operations and cargo routes.

Greenpeace Ukraine has warned of a potential environmental catastrophe, citing the challenges of containing oil spills in such adverse weather. The organization is calling on Russian authorities to take immediate steps to contain the current spill, mitigate further harm, and halt the militarization of the region, including through the return of Crimea to Ukrainian control.

As the disaster unfolds, its consequences are expected to stretch far beyond the Black Sea and threaten marine life and humanity. Experts who spoke to The Media Line said the spill reminded people of the fragility of marine ecosystems and revealed the urgent need for global solutions to reduce reliance on oil.

Any oil or petrochemical spill in these waters has the potential to be serious. Heavy residual fuels like mazut are particularly difficult to clean up, especially if driven ashore, where they can cause long-term environmental damage.

“Any oil or petrochemical spill in these waters has the potential to be serious. Heavy residual fuels like mazut are particularly difficult to clean up, especially if driven ashore, where they can cause long-term environmental damage,” Paul Johnston, head of the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter, told The Media Line.

It’s all about species that live in the sea. While we are hurting and killing them, covering them in oil, the ecosystem collapses.

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Ofira Ayalon of the University of Haifa’s School of Environmental Sciences warned of a cascading collapse of marine life due to the spill. “It’s all about species that live in the sea. While we are hurting and killing them, covering them in oil, the ecosystem collapses,” Ayalon told The Media Line. She compared the incident to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska, which had devastating effects on the local ecosystem.

Omri Bronstein, a marine biologist at Tel Aviv University, elaborated on the immediate and long-term dangers to aquatic organisms. “Fish, for example, practically breathe water. They run water through their gills, and that’s how they oxygenate their blood and breathe. Once you have petroleum compounds—and it doesn’t really matter if it’s crude oil or distilled product—these compounds enter the animals,” Bronstein told The Media Line. “At first, this is toxic for many of the marine organisms.”

Bronstein said the toxic compounds also affect larger marine mammals, and predators that eat marine life concentrate the contaminants, resulting in impacts far beyond the immediate spill site.

This is a large event, particularly for a region like the Black Sea, which is almost a completely closed body of water with very unique bathymetry and water movement patterns. So, it’s largely a closed basin. The impact will, unfortunately, be significant.

He explained that the Black Sea’s unique geography exacerbates the spill’s severity. “This is a large event, particularly for a region like the Black Sea, which is almost a completely closed body of water with very unique bathymetry and water movement patterns,” he said. “So, it’s largely a closed basin. The impact will, unfortunately, be significant.”

This time, it was the Black Sea. The next time, it could be the Mediterranean Sea or the US shores.

According to Ayalon, the risks of oil spills are inherent in transporting crude oil. “This time, it was the Black Sea. The next time, it could be the Mediterranean Sea or the US shores,” she said.

We tend to forget how dependent we are on marine life. I’m not just talking about commerce and maritime shipping routes. I’m talking about basic things that we need for survival—starting from air and oxygen, most of which comes from our oceans to food and water. So, for a very long time, we will see the impact of this catastrophe. It will definitely affect us, in the water we drink and the food we eat.

Bronstein said that the catastrophe humans caused would end up harming them as well. “We tend to forget how dependent we are on marine life. I’m not just talking about commerce and maritime shipping routes. I’m talking about basic things that we need for survival—starting from air and oxygen, most of which comes from our oceans to food and water,” he said. “So, for a very long time, we will see the impact of this catastrophe. It will definitely affect us, in the water we drink and the food we eat.”

Methods of cleaning up oil spills include scraping oil off the surface of the water, sucking the oil out, or introducing oil-eating bacteria, Ayalon said. “But you have to move very fast. Now, because it is December, biological processes are very slow. The water is cold. If such an event happened during summer, it would be much easier to deal with the oil spill,” she said.

There’s no way to fix it. There’s no way to turn it around or make it go away. We, as humans, don’t have the capacity to vacuum clean our oceans,” he said. “These compounds spread quickly, and there’s no 100% mitigation for this issue.

Bronstein offered a sobering perspective on the limitations of such cleanup efforts. “There’s no way to fix it. There’s no way to turn it around or make it go away. We, as humans, don’t have the capacity to vacuum clean our oceans,” he said. “These compounds spread quickly, and there’s no 100% mitigation for this issue.”

He stressed the need for international cooperation, particularly in a region strained by geopolitical tensions. “The only way that we can tackle and deal with such events on such a scale is through international collaboration,” he said. “We need to work together. And unfortunately, I’m not very optimistic about this scenario in that specific region. The sea couldn’t care less about our borders and our politics.”