Sochi, Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk, and Tuapse beach conditions reported by Rospotrebbnadzor
News Article: Environmental Monitoring and Sanitary Standards on Krasnodar Black Sea Coast
The ongoing cleanup of oil product residues along the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar region is focused on specific areas, with the coastal line within Anapa and nine beaches in the Temryuk district from Veselovka to Volna being the only locations affected. Despite this, the operation of all recreation and health institutions in these areas remains unaffected, operating in their usual mode.
Specialists monitor the safety of environmental indicators daily along the coast, assessing pollution levels from the major oil spill that occurred in December 2024 involving two Russian tankers near Crimea and southern Russia. The monitoring includes sea water, sand, and coastal pebbles, with over 22,000 studies conducted so far. All samples meet the established sanitary standards.
However, the monitoring infrastructure remains inadequate to fully evaluate environmental quality after the spill, and sanitary standards for beach safety regarding petroleum contamination along the Krasnodar Black Sea coast are provisional and not grounded in verified research. Local authorities have set an informal threshold of less than 5 milligrams of petroleum products per kilogram of beach sand as a provisional benchmark for reopening beaches to public use, although this limit is criticized for lacking a scientific basis or baseline data for the region.
The regional office of Rospotrebnadzor, responsible for the report, has reported a stable epidemiological situation in the region. The operational analysis of infectious disease rates along the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar region is also stable, according to the report.
A map has been provided to indicate the areas of ongoing work on cleaning up oil product residues. The ongoing work is a localized issue, affecting only specific areas within the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar region. The regional office of Rospotrebnadzor continues to assess conditions, with beach reopening pending pollution reduction to levels that are yet to be formally standardized.
[1] Abkhazia's limited monitoring capabilities hinder understanding of oil spill impact. (2025, March 10). Retrieved from https://www.abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/abkhazias-limited-monitoring-capabilities-oil-spill-impact-74969778
[2] Oil spill on Krasnodar Black Sea coast: what we know so far. (2025, March 15). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55998386
[3] Monitoring of oil spill on Krasnodar Black Sea coast faces challenges. (2025, March 17). Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/monitoring-oil-spill-krasnodar-black-sea-coast-faces-challenges-2025-03-17/
[4] Leakage from damaged tanker continues to pose environmental risk. (2025, April 10). Retrieved from https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/10/leakage-from-damaged-tanker-continues-to-pose-environmental-risk-a74161
- The regional office of Rospotrebnadzor, while assessing conditions along the Krasnodar Black Sea coast, is considering principles from environmental science to establish standardized pollution levels for beach reopening.
- In light of the ongoing cleanup and monitoring, scientific research in health-and-wellness is essential to understand the long-term effects of petroleum contamination on the region's ecosystem and public health.
