Oily patches appear in sea near Odesa beaches, likely due to Russia's December attack on port

Seawater pollution has been recorded in the waters off the city of Odesa. During an inspection of the beaches, yellow spills smelling of sunflower oil were found.

Source: State Environmental Inspectorate of the South-Western District

Details: The pollution may be linked to the Russian attack on the port that took place in December 2025.

During an inspection of the waters and coastline of Black Sea on 12 March near the Otrada and Lanzheron beaches, environmental personnel found yellow and greyish-yellow spills with a characteristic smell of sunflower oil.

An analysis showed that the content of fats and oils in the water significantly exceeded the norm, reaching 49.8 mg per cubic decimeter. This confirmed that pollution had occurred.

The Inspectorate believes that the spills are probably linked to the Russian attack on port infrastructure on 20 December 2025, after which sunflower oil entered the Adzhalyk Estuary.

The effects of the pollution are currently being dealt with. Inspectors continue to monitor the condition of the seawater.

Background:

• On 24 December 2025, it was reported that oily patches and the bodies of dead birds had appeared on Odesa beaches. The cause of the pollution was found to be the Russian attack on the port of Pivdennyi.
• As a result of the strike, 13 containers holding flour and vegetable oil caught fire. Their contents, together with the by-products of combustion, entered the waters of the Black Sea, which led to pollution of the coastal zone.
• The head of the scientific department of Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park reported that more than 1,000 birds, mostly grebes, had died by the end of January because of the oil spill. Marine filter-feeding organisms were also affected.
• In February, ecologists continued to record new oily spills in the waters of the Black Sea within the Odesa district and in the Tuzly Lagoons area.

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