An analysis has been prepared of the results of the actions taken by the regional offices of the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) in Varna and Burgas following reports of fuel oil pellets on the beaches of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.

Between June 1 and 30, the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW) in Burgas, the RIEW in Varna, and the Black Sea Basin Directorate (BSBD) in Varna received nearly 200 reports of pollution along the beaches. The highest number of reports were recorded for beaches in the municipalities of Tsarevo, Sozopol, Primorsko, Burgas, Pomorie, Nesebar, Byala, Varna, Shabla, Avren, and Kavarna. Analysis shows that a large portion of the reports pertain to the same areas, so the actual number of affected areas is significantly smaller.

Each report has been investigated by experts from the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water and the Bulgarian Agency for Marine Resources. The inspections did not identify any coastal sources of pollution. Orders have been issued to concessionaires and leaseholders to promptly clean up the affected beaches, and for beaches without a concessionaire – to the respective municipalities. At the same time, the Executive Agency “Maritime Administration” has been officially notified to take action within its jurisdiction.

Teams from the Ministry of Environment and Water continue their daily on-site inspections and are monitoring compliance with the issued directives. So far, the inspections indicate a timely response and proactive action on the part of both the beach concessionaires and tenants, as well as local authorities.

An immediate inspection is conducted upon every new report of oil pellets. Experts note that the newly appearing oil pellets result from the periodic discharge of old fuel oil residues from the sea under certain hydrometeorological conditions, rather than from uncleaned pollution.

Since the beginning of 2026, the Varna Basin Directorate has received over 40 reports of marine water pollution by petroleum products, 8 of which were received in June. In response to the situation, the Basin Directorate has expanded its monitoring of marine waters and intensified surveillance along the entire Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Samples have been analyzed from areas near Varna, Shabla, Lozenets, Pomorie, the Kamchia resort complex, Obzor, Ahtopol, and Tsarevo for the presence of petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls, volatile organic compounds, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other indicators.

None of the inspections revealed a visible film on the sea surface, and none of the samples tested showed concentrations of the substances under investigation exceeding environmental quality standards. The experts’ conclusion is that there is no evidence of active oil pollution in the seawater.