site.btaNorthern Part of Varna's Kabakum Beach Polluted with Oil Products

Pollution with a used petroleum product, most likely heavy fuel oil, was detected Saturday morning in the northern part of Kabakum Beach, the press service of the Varna Regional Administration reported. The alert was raised by a local resident.

An emergency meeting of the disaster response headquarters was convened, chaired by Regional Governor Andriyana Andreeva. Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water, Basin Directorate, Varna Municipality, and Regional Administration teams began work to contain the pollution and identify who is responsible.

According to the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water, the source of the pollution is onshore rather than at sea. The contamination is linked to a hydrotechnical facility used for wastewater discharge. No pollution of seawater has been detected. The Basin Directorate confirmed that the pollution is localized and has been stopped.

According to an assessment by the Emergency and Rescue Activities Directorate, just over 200 square meters of the beach area have been affected. The volume of sand requiring removal and cleanup is estimated at between 4 and 20 cubic meters.

The Regional Administration stated that the potential polluter is a hotel in the area. Police officers are working to determine whether there is evidence of a criminal offense.

Under the regional oil spill response plan, responsibility for organizing cleanup operations lies with the mayor, the Regional Administration added. The environmental inspectorate has issued mandatory instructions to both the polluter and the municipal authorities to carry out the cleanup.

In early April 2025, a partial state of disaster was declared in Varna due to shoreline pollution with petroleum products. At the time, experts believed the source was at sea rather than on land, but no specific culprit was identified. Over the course of several days, the contaminated sand was collected and removed from the beach.