• Українською
  • Ukraine and Turkey address russian tanker accident in the Black Sea and russia’s violation of maritime law

    Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Svitlana Grynchuk met with Ambassador of Turkey to Ukraine Mustafa Levent Bilgen. The two discussed the consequences of the russian tanker accident in the Black Sea and russia’s violations of the law of the sea.

    Svitlana Grynchuk told the Ambassador about Ukraine’s appeals to international institutions and communication with Romania and Bulgaria on pollution monitoring.

    “Specialists of the Ukrainian Scientific Centre of Ecology of Sea are thoroughly collecting data and analysing radar images from Sentinel-1, German and Spanish TerraSAR-X and PAZ satellites, forecasting the spread of pollution, taking into account current and forecast hydrometeorological conditions, as well as the type and amount of oil products,” the Minister said.

    According to the Ukrainian Scientific Centre of Ecology of Sea, the fuel oil that could potentially reach the north-western shelf of the Black Sea is currently in the form of clots due to low water temperatures. These fuel oil clumps are gradually increasing in weight and sinking. The situation may change with warming, so the countries of the Black Sea region must constantly monitor the situation and respond to threats.

    For example, on 13 January, the Spanish PAZ satellite took an image off the western coast of Crimea, near the Kalamita Bay. This image does not show any possible oil slicks.

    On 14 January, the Sentinel-1 satellite took an image in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, black areas near Cape Tarkhankut may indicate the presence of oil slicks. The area is about 10 km long.

    Also on 14 January, the German TerraSAR-X satellite took an image near Cape Tarkhankut. The enlarged fragment also shows black areas that may indicate the presence of oil slicks.

    The Turkish Ambassador expressed his support for Ukraine’s initiatives and pledged to inform the Turkish side about the consequences of the accident and the position of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.

    “russia’s violation of the law of the sea is systemic and requires international intervention. russia has been using river tankers at sea for many years and is currently keeping official data on the accident in isolation. This creates additional problems for the participation of the Black Sea countries in overcoming the consequences,” Svitlana Grynchuk said at the meeting.

    Mustafa Levent Bilgen stressed that the protection of Black Sea ecosystems was a common concern for Turkey and Ukraine. Not a single country in the Black Sea basin is protected. A clear indication of this, according to the Ambassador, is that Turkey is fighting sea mines on its shores. This is undeniable proof that the russian war is having an impact far beyond the battlefields.

    “I am glad to hear the words of support and understanding from the Turkish Ambassador. We are looking forward to extraordinary meetings of the secretariats of international organisations and are preparing for an active joint struggle for the Black Sea ecosystems,” the Minister emphasised.