Oil spill near Anapa after Kerch Strait stormCEFR B2
27 Jul 2025
Adapted from Daria Dergacheva, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Polina Grishma, Unsplash
On the morning of 15 December 2024 a storm in the Kerch Strait left two fuel tankers damaged: Volgoneft‑212 broke in half and Volgoneft‑239 ran aground about 80 kilometres from the port of Taman. Reported figures put the spill at about 3,700 tons of oil from 9,200 tons on board. The leak contaminated the sea near Anapa, a seaside resort in Krasnodar Krai, and triggered a wide local response.
Scenes in Anapa in mid‑June 2025 included half‑empty new hotels, closed amusement and water parks, shuttered tour kiosks and nearly empty cafés. Hotel bookings for June–July 2025 fell by 30–70 percent compared with the previous year, and since late June guests have been asked to sign a waiver acknowledging a swimming ban. Transport constraints add strain: Anapa airport has been closed since March 2022, so travellers now arrive by train or via Sochi; a night train between Anapa and Adler, introduced in 2024, has become a key link.
Authorities declared 66 km of coastline from Veselovka to the Utrish Nature Reserve a hazard zone and banned beach access. Volunteers and local companies carried out cleanup operations, and some local businesses paused normal work to help. A cosmetics entrepreneur said production halted, 15 employees joined cleanup efforts, monthly revenue fell by 42 percent and three staff quit; her proposal for support measures was not accepted. The sunken tankers are scheduled to be raised in 2026, while many residents and businesses say they remain in limbo. Some entrepreneurs now offer alternative trips to cleaner beaches for fees such as 2,500 rubles.
Difficult words
- spill — accidental release of liquid, especially oil, into water
- contaminate — make water, soil, or air dirty or unsafecontaminated
- waiver — official document giving up a legal right
- run aground — to become stuck on the shore or seabedran aground
- hazard zone — area declared dangerous where access is restricted
- limbo — state of uncertainty or delay about decisions
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could the drop in hotel bookings affect workers and small businesses in Anapa? Give examples from the article.
- Do you think asking guests to sign a waiver about a swimming ban is fair? Why or why not?
- What further measures could authorities or companies take to support the local economy after an environmental accident like this?
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