Ecologists and volunteers have called attention to all sources of pollution in the Black Sea.

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Pollution of the Black Sea is not limited to the leakage of oil products from tankers after the crash in the Kerch Strait. In addition to fuel oil, the sea washes ashore vegetable fats and plastic, while sewage discharges and contaminated waters from storm drains flow into it.

Pollution of the Black Sea off the coast of Krasnodar Krai cannot be attributed solely to the consequences of the tanker "Volgoneft" crash in December 2024, said Alexander Kirpa, the organizer of the volunteer movement "Headquarters "Dolphins. We save the sea" in an interview with a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on November 14.

According to him, ecologists also point to sewage discharges, contaminated stormwater runoff, and the lack of a unified picture of waste entering the sea. "First of all, I would suggest stopping viewing all pollution of the Black Sea exclusively as a consequence of the tanker disaster 'Volgoneft' in December 2024," Kirpa stated.

He noted that the consequences of that accident continue to affect the state of the coast, however, in recent months volunteers have encountered several types of pollution that may have different origins. "These are oil products, palm oil, numerous plastic waste, and other materials that the sea continues to wash ashore," Kirpa said.

In October, reports of oil pollution came from the area of Novorossiysk, Yuzhnaya Ozerievka, Abrau-Durso, and Anapa. They coincided with the incident involving the Aframax Rio tanker near Sochi. However, Kirpa emphasized that the coincidence alone does not prove that this tanker was the source of all detected pollution. "To establish the origin of oil products, laboratory analysis is necessary to compare the chemical composition of samples," the volunteer explained.

He also drew attention to reports of possible leaks in the area of the sunken structures of "Volgoneft". In August, authorities reported the completion of fuel oil pumping, however, at the end of October, satellite monitoring again showed signs of possible leaks. According to Kirpa, it is not enough to know that a certain technical operation has been completed to assess the situation. It is necessary to establish where the new film on the water surface is coming from and what substance is forming it. At the same time, satellite images alone do not allow for a definitive determination of the source of pollution: sampling and chemical analysis are needed for that.

Kirpa identified vegetable fats as a separate problem, which volunteers collect in the area of the village of Volna, the port of Taman, and Cape Zhelezny Rog. They are often referred to as "white fuel oil", although, according to the interlocutor, this is not an oil product, but a fat pollution. "But that does not make it harmless to the marine ecosystem," the volunteer noted.

When large amounts of vegetable fats enter the marine environment, they can cover sand, stones, algae, and living organisms. During the decomposition of organic matter, microorganisms consume dissolved oxygen, which under certain conditions worsens the state of the coastal environment, Kirpa explained.

According to him, the fat washed ashore mixes with sand and debris, and after storms, it is spread along the coast again. Volunteers, together with partners, have collected and removed hundreds of tons of contaminated material, however, discharges periodically recur.

Another source of pollution, Kirpa identified as plastic. A large amount of plastic waste is found by volunteers along the coast from the Kerch Strait to Novorossiysk. Among the finds are small white elements, externally resembling sealing inserts used in bottle caps. Their origin and composition, according to the interlocutor, still require separate research. Plastic gradually breaks down under the influence of the sun, waves, and sand. The resulting microplastic particles are significantly more difficult to detect and collect using ordinary beach cleaning methods, Kirpa noted.

Volunteers have repeatedly cleaned sections of the coast in the area of the village of Volna from fuel oil, vegetable fats, and household waste. According to Kirpa, they cleaned kilometers of the shore, collected hundreds of bags, and used a snow swamp vehicle "Pioneer" to reach hard-to-access places. However, a few days after cleaning, a storm would begin, and the sea would bring pollution again.

The main problem is the lack of a sufficiently prompt and coordinated system for the removal of already collected pollutants.

In October, similar problems were recorded in other areas. In Myskhako, part of the previously collected pollutants and unremoved bags with fuel oil gravel, according to reports from the site, ended up under stones or was scattered. In the area of Abrau-Durso, waves hindered access to certain polluted areas. In Vityazevo, local spills of oil products were recorded, and in the village of Volna - new small discharges of fuel oil and vegetable fat. At the same time, Kirpa emphasized that one of the most serious problems arises already after cleaning. "The main problem is the lack of a sufficiently prompt and coordinated system for the removal of already collected pollutants," he said.

According to volunteers' observations, in certain areas, bags with collected waste can remain on the shore for weeks. During this time, they are damaged by storms, and the contents again enter the environment.

Kirpa believes that it is not enough to report cleaning only by the number of bags collected. It is also necessary to report how much waste has actually been removed, where it has been sent, and how it has been disposed of. Collection, temporary placement, transportation, and disposal, according to him, should be viewed as a single chain.

It is important not only to know the sources of pollution but also to prevent waste discharges.

The correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" was also told by a representative of an organization engaged in combating environmental crime Aleksey Fedorенко. According to him, solid household waste, sewage discharges, oil products, chemicals, plastic and microplastic, construction waste, and contaminated stormwater can enter the sea from resort areas.

Among the possible sources of pollution, Fedorенко listed household garbage from residents and tourists, household wastewater from hotels, restaurants, and sanatoriums, insufficiently treated sewage, waste from industrial enterprises and ports, as well as garbage and oil-containing waters from vessels. He suggested paying special attention to storm sewage. According to him, during heavy rains, water washes oil products, heavy metals, plastic, and other pollutants off streets, parking lots, and construction sites. If storm systems are not equipped with treatment facilities, these substances can enter the sea directly.

The most important question is not only what exactly enters the sea but also who is responsible for preventing discharges, who records them, and whether there is quantitative accounting.

Fedorенко emphasized that accounting for waste removed from beaches, accounting for wastewater discharges, and monitoring marine water pollution are three different systems. Data from one of them do not provide a complete picture of the state of the sea. "The most important question is not only what exactly enters the sea but also who is responsible for preventing discharges, who records them, and whether there is quantitative accounting," the ecologist notes.

"The World Bank report "Blue Economy: a Path for Krasnodar Krai", published in August 2020, also pointed out gaps in monitoring marine debris. It noted the absence of a regular system for monitoring marine debris in Russian territorial waters, including off the coast of Krasnodar Krai," Fedorенко said.

In the report studied by him, scientists noted that six years ago, before the oil disaster, plastic waste was the main type of pollution in the coastal and marine environment of the region. Among the most common waste were cigarette butts, plastic packaging, and fragments of single-use plastic. Accumulations of floating debris were noted, in particular, in the area of Novorossiysk and Sochi.

The report indicates that official inspections also revealed violations related to wastewater discharges. In September 2025, Rosprirodnadzor reported the discharge of sewage into the Asha River in Sochi, which flows into the Black Sea. According to the agency, analyses showed exceedances of permissible concentrations of pollutants, and the amount of damage caused was 83.9 million rubles. A demand for compensation was made to the city administration; the court supported the position of the supervisory authority. Earlier, Rosprirodnadzor reported exceedances of pollutant standards in wastewater after treatment facilities in the Kabardinka and Arkhipo-Osipovka areas, as well as violations during discharges through a deep-water outlet in Novorossiysk.

"These cases relate to specific inspections and do not allow for an assessment of the overall volume of pollution entering the Black Sea. However, they show that the problem is not limited to the consequences of tanker accidents," the ecologist believes.

The Black Sea coast needs a pollution monitoring system.

Ecologist and coordinator of the industrial greening program at the Center for Wildlife Protection Igor Shkradyuk also drew attention to the problem of sewage discharges. He told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that, in his estimation, a significant portion of residential buildings and private hotels on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus discharge fecal waste into the sea.

To prevent such pollution, Shkradyuk believes that treatment facilities and local bio-septics are necessary. He also suggested developing food waste recycling on-site, including obtaining biogas and fertilizers, and creating stocks of oil-absorbing sorbents for rapid response to spills.

The head of the charity organization "Network, Sieve, Shovel" Zhanna Rybak told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" about the large amount of household plastic that the sea washes ashore at Bugaz Spit. According to her observations, among the waste, packaging with Turkish labels is found. This, according to Rybak, shows that the place where the garbage ends up on the shore does not necessarily coincide with the place from which it entered the sea.

We need a constantly operating coastal protection system, not just a response to the next emergency.

Alexander Kirpa believes that the coast needs a constantly operating monitoring and response system: with regular sampling, laboratory determination of pollution composition, prompt cleaning, and guaranteed waste removal. According to him, public organizations and volunteers are ready to participate in such work but should not bear all the responsibility for its organization. "Local efforts and temporary solutions are not enough for a problem of this scale. We need a constantly operating coastal protection system, not just a response to the next emergency," Kirpa stated.

He believes that the results of the work should be assessed not by the number of reports and bags collected but by the cleanliness of the shore, the absence of repeated pollution, and the ability of services to quickly eliminate new discharges. "The Black Sea needs not promises. It needs constant protection," the volunteer concluded.

Zhanna Rybak believes that the Black Sea needs help primarily "at the starting point of the problem, namely, to prevent the constant inflow of waste into the water."