Black Sea Fleet Maintains Environmental Security

10.01.2012 Black Sea Fleet (BSF) continues methodical work in the area of environment protection, ecological security, and compliance with environmental laws.

To improve environmental protection, BSF Commander issued two resolutions in 2011. The first one regulates collection and reporting of statistics on pollutant releases and waste disposal by BSF units in the territory of Ukraine. The second document enacts strict compliance with ecological security regulations at BSF assets and lists the measures for ecology improvement.

BSF Environmental Service held two methodological conferences for the fleet's ecologists; they were attended by representatives of BSF services and departments as well as delegates from Ukraine's environmental authorities. It was noted at those meetings that over 80 unauthorized ecologists were working in the fleet's units; they control compliance with ecological security regulations.

The unique ecological monitoring vessel Petr Gradov holds a special place in BSF environmental security operations. The ship regularly monitors water area around the fleet's moorage sites, coastal assets, and military units of Southern Military District. In 2011, Petr Gradov has carried out over 20 control raids around BSF basing sites, including those near Caucasus Mountains. That made possible to conduct ecological monitoring of aquatic environment with mapping of pollution zones, provide ecological maintenance to the fleet's combat training activities, and collect data for environmental audits according to Russia's international commitments.