• Basin Directorate monitors potential pollution in Black Sea after attacks on commercial ships

The Ministry of Environment and Water has taken immediate action to dispel suspicions of potential pollution of the Black Sea waters after a tanker was blocked off the coast of Ahtopol. In this regard, the Black Sea Region Basin Directorate (BSRD) - Varna has deployed measuring devices and taken samples between Sozopol and Rezovo, which will provide data on the state of the sea water.

The coordinates of the points where the samples are taken are:

42°24'36.20" N latitude, 27°43'47.35" E longitude

41°59'42.55" N latitude, 28°01'56.86" E longitude

The samples will be tested for the following indicators: presence of petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, 180), benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, styrene, incl. vegetable oils.

The results obtained will be interpreted according to the environmental quality standards (EQS) specified in the Regulation on the Characterization of Surface Waters and the Regulation on EQS for Priority Substances and Certain Pollutants. If deviations are detected or if pollution is detected, follow-up actions will be taken, of which the public will be promptly informed.

At the moment, the regular monitoring by the Ministry of Environment and Water does not report deviations indicating pollution of marine waters in the Bulgarian waters.