Anapa’s Beaches Rise Again: 7.5 Kilometers Restored After Tanker Spill

The Black Sea resort city of Anapa is making steady progress in the wake of December’s devastating tanker disaster. As of late May, emergency crews have restored approximately 7.5 kilometers of shoreline, laying down a fresh 50-centimeter layer of sand to replace what was fouled by oil. Work continues around the clock on multiple sections, with dump trucks making 323 trips last Sunday alone to haul in clean material, according to the Krasnodar region’s operational command center.

The recovery effort follows the December 15, 2024, wreck of the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 tankers in the Kerch Strait. Rough seas sent about 2,400 tons of oil products into the water, staining more than 3,000 kilometers of coastline across the region. In early May, officials announced a key milestone: a one-kilometer test section in the nearby village of Vityazevo had passed sanitary inspections by Rospotrebnadzor, proving the sand-replacement method works. That stretch, along with eight pebble beaches in Anapa, has now been cleared from the emergency zone.

Local authorities are racing to finish before the peak summer season, balancing speed with safety. The operation’s success so far offers a glimmer of hope for a coastline that draws millions of visitors each year—and a reminder of the long road back from one of the region’s worst environmental accidents.