Fuel oil pollution on the Varna beach was 8 times higher

The fuel oil pollution on the Varna beach since the end of March and the beginning of April turned out to be 8 times higher than initially announced. This is clear from information requested by the Public Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development under the Access to Public Information Act (APIA).

The Director of the Basin Directorate ‘Black Sea Region’ Yavor Dimitrov presents the data on the air of Nova TV. The same day the institutions claim that a large part of the beach has already been cleaned. A partial state of emergency was also declared on 1 April so that ‘the state can bear the costs of cleaning up the oil pollution’.

According to the Maritime Administration’s assessment, the pollution ‘is not extensive, it is local and no environmental damage is expected’. For the same reasons, the Varna District Prosecutor’s Office refused to initiate criminal proceedings in the case. This happened only two days after the materials were received by the supervising prosecutor (7 April 2025). It was established that there was no crime of a general nature*. The data collected by the investigating authorities speak of minor damage to the shore.

On the other pole are the comments of the Director of the Regional Inspectorate of Environmental Protection – Varna, Erjan Sebaitin. On the air of bTV on 1 April he called the case an ‘ugly crime’ and ‘serious pollution’. At the time, about 200 m of the beach was officially said to be affected. The RIEW also commented on the available consequences for flora and fauna as well as water quality.

A month later, the official response from the RIEW, received under the EQIA, showed that there was no exceedance of the environmental quality standards for the indicators ‘volatile organic compounds’ as well as ‘dissolved suspended solids’. For the indicator “petroleum products”, a ‘visible film on the surface of the water and a characteristic odour were found. The quantification of petroleum products was also carried out and was highest in the area of the beach opposite the former Rapongi restaurant – 8,2 mg/l. Correspondingly, to the left of the beach at the Third Buna was 5.40 ml/l and to the right 1.84 mg/l. However, the same cannot be interpreted, given that no maximum permissible concentrations are available in Regulation 4/2012, the eco-inspection summarises.

By letter dated 31 March 2025 of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency – Varna, a request for sampling and analysis of rock material for petroleum products by the Regional Laboratory – Varna was released to the Executive Environmental Agency (EEA). Samples were not taken because the laboratory was not accredited for rock testing and did not have a standard for rock sampling and subsequent analysis of petroleum products.

During an inspection by representatives of the Regional Laboratory – Varna, at the EEA, at the request of the Basin Directorate, samples of sea water were taken. A month after the sampling it turned out that there were no data on the test results in the Regional Environmental Protection Agency.

Inconsistencies also appeared in the coverage of the affected area. Initially, there was mention of just over 200 m of beach. In the information later provided by the eco-inspection, the contaminated area is doubled. In front of the Rapongi restaurant, an area of ‘not less than 350 sq. m’ is reported, in front of Wake Park Varna on Bunite East beach – about 50-60 sq. m and on the north side of the Third Buna (Bunite 2 West beach) – about 50 sq. m.

Even if the oil pollution was on a larger area, according to elementary arithmetic it turns out that more than 18 kg of waste was removed from a square meter of beach. According to marine experts, if this is so real, the amount cannot be qualified as ‘insignificant’.

The waste totaling 8,160 tons was handed over by the concessionaire of the beaches – ‘Holding Varna’, to ‘Maintaining the Cleanliness of the Sea Waters’ AD for recovery/disposal, according to RIEW-Varna. The pollution was transported to the Base Oil Terminal in the South Industrial Zone. 27 301,79 BGN including VAT were paid from the state budget for this purpose, according to a report from the Varna Regional Administration.

The perpetrator of the pollution has not been detected, although 12 vessels have been checked at the port of Varna.

Days later, reports of fuel oil pollution continue. One of the latest reported by the media was from St Marina beach, south of Pasha gully, 23 days after the widely reported incident at Varna’s Third Buna.

*A crime of a general nature is a type of crime for which prosecution is initiated ex officio by the state. This means that the State (in the person of the Public Prosecutor’s Office) is obliged to take action to investigate and prosecute who becomes aware of the commission of such an act, regardless of the will of the particular victim. A large part of environmental crimes are crimes of a general nature, since it is an environmental crime that affects the public interest.

Photos:Varna District Administration and BGNES