Oil Slick Reported Near Atash Beach on Kazakhstan’s Caspian Coast

Environmental inspectors have examined Atash Beach and collected seawater samples after an apparent oil slick was spotted nearby, Orda.kz reports.

The slick was noticed on August 8 off the coast of the Mangystau region. Specialists from the regional Ecology Department surveyed the shoreline and collected samples for laboratory testing.

The source of the pollution has not yet been established.

Monitoring is continuing. Vessel crews and berth operators were reminded of the need to prevent petroleum-product spills and comply with environmental requirements,the Mangystau Region Ecology Department said.

The laboratory results are still pending.

Orda.kz previously reported that nearly 200 badly decomposed seal carcasses had been found along the Caspian coast. Similar mass deaths have occurred before. Deputy Agriculture Minister Amangali Berdalin named natural gas emissions associated with underwater earthquakes as one possible cause.

Read also:

• Dead Seals Found Near Aktau May Have Come From Iran, Officials Say
• Kazakhstan Authorizes Capture of Caspian Seals and Rare Fish for Research
• A Chinese Oil Company Was Fined Almost Half a Billion for Drilling Waste in Mangistau