Odesa ecologist tells who will suffer the most from a new oil leak into the sea

A new leak of sunflower oil into the Black Sea, which occurred as a result of the Russian attack on the port of Chornomorsk in Odesa region, poses the greatest threat to migratory birds that are due to return to the region soon and start nesting.

This was reported by ecologist Vladyslav Balinsky, who noted that despite the efforts of the leakage liquidators, the stain is moving.

"Official services recorded a spot directly in the port's water area measuring 400 by 200 meters - at the time of the first inspection, the booms were still holding the spill. In the images taken the next morning, after the spinning wind had dispersed the oil into the open sea, I estimate the total area of sea surface contamination to be about 40 square kilometers - and this is without taking into account the area of the Sukhoi Estuary. The slick keeps moving," said the ecologist.

Vladyslav Balinsky noted that this is the third such oil spill into the Black Sea, and seahorses are likely to be the next to be fatally affected.

The fact is that although vegetable oil does not poison the water, it polymerizes and settles to the bottom in a few weeks under the influence of the sun, oxygen and salt. It accumulates in the depressions between the stone ridges, where seahorses winter and where mussel banks grow. Mussels absorb this mass through filtration. Seahorses in a state of winter torpor are likely to suffocate when the storm's mass blocks their delicate gills.

"This is my hypothesis based on field observations - it needs laboratory confirmation, but so far I have nothing better to explain what I saw in January," the ecologist explained.

For birds, the mechanism is different. The oil glues the feathers and destroys their insulating properties, so the bird drowns and freezes in any water.

"After months of working with ornithologists, I came to a conclusion that sounds counterintuitive: vegetable oil seems to be more dangerous for birds than fuel oil. Fuel oil is washed off. Vegetable oil seems to destroy the structure of the feather deeper and for longer - at least that's what it looks like in practice," said Balinsky.

The environmentalist believes that such attacks on sunflower oil tanks have become a system: "Three attacks on civilian food infrastructure. Three food spills in the sea. Predictable environmental outcome each time. This is not collateral damage - this is a documented scheme."

Кирило Бойко