A new oil slick formed in the Black Sea on April 9 about 23 kilometers off the coast of Anapa and later spread to as much as 80 square kilometers before drifting away from shore, representatives of the environmental NGO Greenpeace told The Insider.
Using data from the Starboard Maritime Intelligence ship tracking service, The Insider found that on April 9 the Russian tanker Foton (IMO: 9893618), operated by Novorossiysk Petroleum, passed near the suspected site of the spill.
According to the service’s data, the vessel does not have shipowner civil liability insurance, meaning any damage in the event of an accident could not be covered. The tanker also periodically disappears from tracking maps due to its AIS signal being turned off.
Over the past week, Foton entered the port of Novorossiysk three times — on April 9, 10, and 12. Late in the evening on April 9, Reuters reported that oil loading resumed in Novorossiysk after a major Ukrainian drone attack. There have been no reports that this particular vessel was damaged in the strike.
Authorities in Russia’s Krasnodar Region had earlier reported a new oil slick in the Anapa area and suggested that it was the likely result of Ukrainian drone attacks. That same evening, on April 11, the region’s emergency response headquarters said more than 200 dead and oil-stained birds had been found on shore over the previous two days. That post, however, disappeared from the agency’s Telegram channel on the morning of April 13.
