Bulgaria’s Environment Ministry responds to reports of oil pollution on country’s Black Sea beaches
Bulgaria’s Ministry of Environment and Water, through its regional structures, took immediate action after reports of the presence of petroleum products on the beaches of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, the ministry said on June 20.
The ministry said that regional inspectorate of environment and water in Bourgas had received 21 reports of fuel oil pollution on the beaches along the southern Black Sea Coast.
Immediately after receiving them, officials from the regional inspectorate carried out on-site inspections together with representatives of the Black Sea Region Basin Directorate, the statement said.
During the inspections, the officials found numerous fuel oil pellets thrown from the sea.
The regional inspectorate issued instructions to the concession-holders of the affected beaches and to the relevant municipalities to immediately clean the beaches.
Officials from the regional inspectorate of environment and water in Varna, the Black Sea Region Basin Directorate and the Regional Laboratory in Varna carried out an inspection following a report of pollution with petroleum products on the beach in the area of the Romantica beach in the Kamchia resort, Avren municipality.
The inspection found contamination of the sand strip with black sticky particles of a hard consistency, varying in size and a faint odor characteristic of petroleum products, thrown out of the sea. The on-site inspection did not identify a coastal source of the pollution.
Samples have been taken from the sea waters in the area and will be tested for the presence of petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls and volatile organic compounds.
Preliminary data indicate that the pollution may be related to the activities of vessels, the ministry said.
The Maritime Administration agency has been notified of the reports so that it may identify the potential sources of pollution, the statement said.
The Ministry of Environment and Water and its regional structures are continuing to monitor the affected areas and will inform the public about the results of the inspections and laboratory analyses, it said.
In a separate statement on June 20, the Tourism Ministry said that minister Ilin Dimitrov had requested immediate operational information from the Minister of Environment and Water and the Minister of Transport and Communications regarding the reports of the presence of fuel oil and other petroleum products on beaches on the southern Black Sea Coast.
The Tourism Ministry said that the concession-holders and tenants of the affected beaches had reacted quickly and promptly, immediately organising the cleaning and securing of the affected parts of the beaches.
“I thank the concession-holders and tenants who did not wait for the administrative procedures, but immediately started work on site,” Dimitrov said.
“The rapid cleaning of the beach is necessary, but it is only part of the overall response. In parallel, it must be established where the pollution comes from, what is the condition of the sea water and whether there is a risk of new discharge of oil products onto the coast,” he said.
(Screenshot via BNT)
