Alina Oprea • 22 June, 2023 at 3:00 PM
35 tons of oil products leaked from a ship under the Bulgarian flag on the main course of the Danube, near Cělarevo (Serbia), at km 1287. This information was received by the Ministry of the Environment, Waters and Forests, and the National Administration "Romanian Waters" - Department of Emergency Situations, through the secretary for border waters within the Romania-Serbia bilateral agreement, in the afternoon of June 20. The times estimated by the National Administration "Romanian Waters" specialists for the propagation of pollution are about 24-30 hours until entering the country. Taking into account the declared amount of pollutant, the length of the pollution wave will be at a distance of approx. 70-100 km in non-intervention conditions, downstream from the event production area.
At the moment, the Serbian side is acting through the Vode Vojvodine competent teams (provincial water inspection, accredited laboratory, etc.) together with the Serbian army in order to protect Belgrade from the possible effects of accidental pollution. Thus, a suitable location was identified where a floating protective dam was installed, at this time, the oil spill being isolated.
At the disposal of the ANAR management, the teams of the Banat Water Basin Administration (ABA) have started the visual monitoring of the Danube waters, in the Baziaș section.
Since the width of the Danube in the area where it is estimated that the pollution wave will enter does not allow the placement of an absorbent floating dam, the intervention formation from the Romanian Waters (ABA) Banat- the Water Management System (SGA) Caraș-Severin is prepared to act with sorb spill type material that will be spread from motor boats.
The environmental remediation intervention, as well as the taking of water samples, will be carried out by our teams only in the event that the pollution wave will reach Romania, respectively oil iridescence will be observed.
According to the information received from the intervention teams of the Water Basin Administration (Romanian Waters) Banat present since Tuesday afternoon at the Romanian border and considering the elapsed time (over 30 hours), the previously formed pollution wave on the Danube in the area of Cělarevo (Serbia), at km 1287, it was stopped before reaching the Romanian border.
”Therefore, due to the intervention measures taken earlier by the teams in Serbia, the pollution did not have a transboundary impact”, according to Romanian Waters.