Mircea Fechet, Minister of the Environment, draws attention to the need for urgent measures and a strong European intervention to assess the environmental impact of the sinking of two Russian oil tankers in the Kerch Strait. In a video conference with Petar Dimitrov, Minister of Environment and Water of Bulgaria, and Svitlana Grynchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, closer collaboration was established for the monitoring of the marine environment and the exchange of information.
Mircea Fechet The effects of the sinking of the two ships in December 2024 are worse than initially anticipated, and the pollution has already spread beyond the borders of the Russian regions of Krasnodar and Stavropol. It has also reached Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula - affecting cities such as Yalta, Sevastopol and Evpatoria - and the Berdyansk area, which has been under Russian occupation since the aggression began.
Despite high-resolution satellite images, the extent of the M100 (fuel oil) pollution cannot be accurately determined, nor can the directions in which this heavy, low-quality petroleum product will be carried by currents be fully predicted.
Mircea Fechet emphasizes that fuel oil leaks from sunken ships continue, which implies a long period of pollution and requires long-term decontamination measures. Biologists estimate that the impact of the ecological disaster will be felt for at least four years, considering that such petroleum products decompose slowly, affecting both the soil and the entire food chain: from plants and microflora, to aquatic creatures such as fish, dolphins, and coastal birds.
Another concern is the lack of involvement of the Russian authorities, who do not seem to be taking sufficient measures to stop and reduce the effects of the disaster. Mircea Fechet warns that Russia has a legal and moral responsibility to stop the pollution at the source and to prevent possible new accidents, given that old ships, with a lifespan of over 55 years, continue to sail in the Black Sea without safety guarantees.
Mircea Fechet states that Russia allowed these "decrepit" vessels, as the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, called them, to obtain technical approvals and be authorized to transport a huge quantity of petroleum products.
Moreover, the Minister of the Environment points out that the Moscow authorities tried to minimize the impact of the incident and let volunteers handle most of the pollutant collection, instead of organizing a complex and efficient pumping and removal of the fuel oil.
While Russia is looking for a scapegoat for non-compliance with labor protection regulations, the Romanian minister insists that the responsibility lies entirely with those who allowed the ships to go to sea, given that they were transporting over 9.000 tons of petroleum products.
Mircea Fechet points out that Romania will use all available diplomatic and technical means to bring the seriousness of the disaster to international attention, demanding urgent measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the Black Sea.
The Romanian authorities reaffirm their willingness to collaborate with the states in the region, with European and international institutions, to protect the marine ecosystem, already heavily affected by the sinking of the two Russian oil tankers.