Oil-Covered Birds Reported on Russia’s Black Sea Coast After Tanker Fire

A wildlife center in Anapa says it has received oil-coated seabirds from towns along Russia’s Black Sea coast.

The center is asking for volunteers to help treat and feed the birds.

The reports followed a fire on October 6 aboard the Liberia-flagged tanker Rio, which was attacked off the coast near Sochi.

The fire was put out the next day, and the damaged tanker was towed to Novorossiysk, where workers began pumping out its oil.

Environmentalists say satellite images show a possible oil slick, while a separate account described a trail behind the tanker as it was towed.

Russian officials say inspections have found no oil pollution along the Krasnodar coast, and Sochi authorities have denied reports of oil-covered birds.

The competing accounts matter because Anapa’s beaches were polluted by a major oil spill in December 2024; the tanker’s oil is still being pumped out, and officials say monitoring continues.