Recently, ecologists from the national natural park "Tuzly Limans" conducted a survey along the Black Sea coastline to locate contaminated areas resulting from the tanker accidents in Kerch Strait on December 15, 2024.

Within the national park, a 2 km sandy spit near the Tuzly Limans-Black Sea strait was identified, where oil of various fractions weighing a total of 1 kg was washed ashore. It was quickly collected, as the oil was very soft due to the +30 temperature on the sand.

Interestingly, the oil was primarily washed up along with seagrass - Zostera and various shell species. Strong winds and underwater currents had recently uprooted the seagrass from the seabed, where the oil was spread, and washed it ashore.

There is a likelihood that oil is still present along the coast of Odesa, but not all beaches are being surveyed. Additionally, the strong winds and sand movement across the spit in recent days likely partially cover the oil, dissolving it in the sand and poisoning local biocenoses.

The majority of the oil that could have reached the northwestern Black Sea from the accident site on December 15, 2024, is now dissolving with the warming and being "incorporated" into the food chains of the hydrobionts in the marine ecosystem and Tuzly Limans. In particular, it may have negatively impacted the fish species Atherina, which have died and washed up on the shore of the Burnas Liman near the mentioned strait along the 2 km sandy spit.