Consequences of Tanker Accidents on the Black Sea Side of the Kerch Strait on December 15, 2024: a Comprehensive Analysis of Satellite and Meteorological Data

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of satellite and meteorological data obtained as part of monitoring of oil pollution of the sea and coastal zone of Krasnodar krai and Crimea that occurred as a result of the breakup of two tankers near the Kerch Strait during the storm on December 15, 2024. The monitoring was carried out using radar images of the sea surface from the Sentinel-1A SAR-C (Synthetic Aperture Radar, C-band) and cloudless images of visible range from the Sentinel-2 MSI (Multispectral Instrument) and Landsat-8, -9 OLI (Operational Land Imager) sensors from December 15, 2024, to April 6, 2025. A summary is provided of all informative satellite images where oil pollution on the water surface associated with tanker accidents is identified. The situation with the Volgoneft-239 tanker is considered separately. Particular attention is drawn to cases of self-cleaning of coastal waters from oil pollution caused by strong winds from the coast. The fact is noteworthy that, in the area under study, oil pollution from other vessels unrelated to the accident still continues.