Transformation of Fuel Oil in the Black Sea Two and Half Months after the Tanker Accident

The paper report on the results of studies into the consequences of the ecological accident in the Black Sea associated with the spill of the tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 on December 15, 2024. The composition of chloroformed bitumen and hydrocarbons (aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic) on the beaches, in the suspension of bottom waters and bottom sediments was compared with the composition of fuel oil. It was found that the water area near Anapa is the most polluted. It has been shown that the decrease in hydrocarbon concentrations 2.5 months after the accident is caused by both their transformation on the shore and in water and the cleansing effect of bacteria. As a result, the amount of chloroformed bitumen decreased as well as the amount of low molecular weight alkanes and polyarenes in its composition.