Historical shipwrecks with petroleum products as a source of environmental risks: threat assessment and monitoring approaches

V.V. Vakhoneev, V.P. Evstigneev, S.Yu. Samoylov, I.A. Minsky

Sevastopol State University, Sevastopol,

RF, Universitetskaya St., 33

DOI: 10.33075/2220-5861-2025-3-109-121

UDC 504.064.36:930.85:623.81

Abstract:

The article examines sunken ships from the first half of the 20th century as a significant yet insufficiently recognized source of potential environmental threats, due to the preservation of petroleum residues in their hulls (so-called Potentially Polluting Wrecks). Particular attention is given to maritime regions with a high density of shipwrecks and low self-purification capacity, such as the Baltic and Black Seas. Based on an analysis of international and domestic studies, the authors identify risks associated both with catastrophic fuel or cargo releases and with chronic background pollution of the marine environment. Specific case studies are presented – from the British battleship Royal Oak to the American steamship Mopang off the coast of Bulgaria – demonstrating that such threats remain real even a century after sinking. The dual nature of these wrecks is emphasized: on the one hand, they represent cultural and historical heritage; on the other, they pose a latent ecological hazard. The article substantiates the need for inventorying and interdisciplinary monitoring of such objects, and for the development of comprehensive response protocols combining ecological, engineering, archaeological, and legal approaches. A pilot research program is proposed to be carried out by Sevastopol State University as part of the Pioneer-M research vessel expeditionary work.

Keywords: Wreck, potentially polluting wrecks, environmental risks, petroleum products, Black Sea, cultural heritage

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