Beaches in Ustka and the surrounding area reopened after removing oil pollution

On Thursday, after 2 p.m., the beaches in Ustka and in parts of the commune - in Rowy, Dębin, Poddąbie, Orzechów and Przewłoka - were opened. This is the result of several days of work by the coastal protection services, which have been removing black, sticky lumps of petroleum substances since Tuesday. According to Paulina Iwin, deputy technical director of the Maritime Office in Słupsk, almost all of the substance has already been removed, although complete cleaning is impossible due to small fractions the size of a pea.

What happened on the beaches of Ustka?

The contamination was noticed on Saturday by walkers who immediately alerted the services. Black lumps appeared on a nearly 50-kilometer stretch of the coast - from Rowy in the Pomeranian Voivodeship to Rusinowo and Wicie in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.

On Monday, the director of the Maritime Office in Słupsk, Anna Sędzińska, decided to close contaminated beaches. The Government Security Center sent an alert to residents of the Słupsk district, warning them against approaching the polluted area.

An investigation into the perpetrator is ongoing

The Maritime Office in Słupsk is conducting investigations to determine who is responsible for the contamination. According to director Sędzińska, there are suspicions that the contamination occurred as a result of illegal cleaning of the tanks of one of the vessels. If the culprit is found, he or she will face not only a high financial penalty, but also the obligation to cover the costs of cleaning and waste disposal.

On Friday, the Maritime Office in Słupsk is to receive the results of tests on samples taken from the beaches. This will allow us to determine exactly what substance we were dealing with. The removed waste will be handed over to a specialized company dealing with its disposal. The costs of the entire operation will be known only after all work is completed.