Authorities confirmed the completion of fuel oil pumping from the sunken parts of tankers near Anapa.

Representatives of Rosprirodnadzor, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the Marine Rescue Service confirmed that the pumping of fuel oil from the sunken parts of tankers near Anapa has been completed. The work of the government commission has ended, and the recovery of the tanker parts from the bottom of the Black Sea will be monitored by the relevant agencies.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 17, the Marine Rescue Service reported that the radar image from September 16 showed pollution of unknown origin in the area of the sunken parts of the tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239". Satellite images of the Kerch Strait also showed slicks extending from the cofferdams placed over the sunken parts of the tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239".

Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev held a meeting of the government commission today to address the consequences of the emergency situation in the Kerch Strait.

During the meeting, key results of the government commission's work on the aftermath of the sinking of the tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239" were reviewed. The pumping of fuel oil from the sunken parts of the vessels has been completed. The completion of the work has been confirmed by a specially created commission, which included representatives of Rosprirodnadzor, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the Marine Rescue Service. The recovery of the sunken fragments of the tankers will be carried out by authorized services and agencies in a regular mode, according to a message on the Telegram channel of the Russian government.

The water area and the coastline along the affected shore in the Krasnodar Territory, Crimea, and Sevastopol have been cleaned. More than 185,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil have been disposed of or directed to economic circulation.

Clean sand has been brought to the affected beaches of Anapa. In the 2026 season, 115 beaches received permits from Rospotrebnadzor.

He thanked everyone who participated in the cleanup of the fuel oil spill.

"Thanks to the efforts of rescue services, federal agencies, regions, and scientific organizations, the ecological consequences and risks have been eliminated. I would especially note the contribution of volunteers. Their concern, selflessness, and readiness to act in difficult conditions have become an important part of the overall result," noted Vitaly Savelyev.

The further work on eliminating the consequences of the sinking of the tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239" will be carried out within the framework of the powers of the ministries and agencies involved in addressing the emergency situation, the message stated.

Recall that on August 21, the authorities reported the completion of the pumping of fuel oil from the sunken parts of the tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239". On August 26, satellite images showed oil slicks in the areas of the sinking of the stern of "Volgoneft-212" and the bow of "Volgoneft-239", and the Sky Eye project suggested that the completion of pumping does not mean the cessation of oil product leaks.

On September 4, it became known that the Russian government had not published reports from the meetings of the government commission on the consequences of the fuel oil spill within two weeks after the announcement of the completion of pumping.

On December 15, 2024, two tankers carrying fuel oil sank in the Kerch Strait. As a result, a crew member of one of the tankers died. In addition, there was a spill of oil products, which led to catastrophic environmental consequences, according to a report from "Caucasian Knot" "Oil Spill in the Kerch Strait". Materials on the consequences of the oil spill have been collected by "Caucasian Knot" on the page "Ecological Disaster in Kuban".