Partial state of emergency declared in Varna due to oil products spill at sea

A partial state of emergency has been declared in Varna due to an oil products spill in the sea and pollution along part of the beach. The district administration will apply for funding from the Interagency Commission for Restoration and Assistance with the Council of Ministers for the cleanup of the coast. The concessionaire of the affected beach area has collected 140 bags of oil waste, which will be deposited at a special site. The responsible party for the pollution has not yet been identified.

According to the "Maritime Administration" in Varna, the pollution is coastal, and there has been no oil spill into the deeper sea. Inspections of the vessels that were at anchor continue.

Prof. Dr. Andriana Andreeva, Governor of Varna:
"Ships are being inspected, but it's happening more slowly because the quantities they declared must be compared with the actual amount of oil products aboard the ship."

The Basin Directorate, however, received a satellite image showing a dark patch 16 kilometres into the sea, west of Varna.

Engineer Yavor Dimitrov, Director of the Basin Directorate "Black Sea Region":
"That’s why my suggestion was for this patch to be monitored. Someone should go and confirm whether it is an oil patch or just a reflection on the water surface."

The eco-inspectorate in Varna claims the pollution was deliberate and will report the matter to the to the Prosecutor's Office.

Erjan Sebaitin, director of the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection - Varna: "We are mostly working on the likelihood that it was deliberately released from a ship, considering the fog that occurred yesterday. This is the version shared by the Maritime Administration, and it's almost certainly the case."

The first water samples taken by the Basin Directorate confirm the presence of oil products. The partial state of emergency in Varna is declared for 7 days.

Prof. Dr. Andriana Andreeva, Governor of Varna:
"In addition to continuing the cleanup, there will be continuous monitoring, and samples will be taken to verify if there are any secondary contaminations."

Small oil balls have also reached the "Galata" and "Rakitnika" beaches south of Varna. Inspections have confirmed no contamination of the sea or coastline at the "Golden Sands" and "St. Constantine and Helena" resorts.