Oil Pollution Hot Spots

The Mopang Case

On 1 July 1921, the US cargo steamship SS Mopang sank off Sozopol on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, close to the city of Burgas, after hitting a sea mine that was left from World War I. For almost one century, the wreck, lying at a depth of about 30 m, was of interest only to marine fauna and scuba divers. On 12 August 2018, however, local newspapers reported an oil leakage that was observed after a period of strong winds and currents in that area. Heavy fuel, of which the SS Mopang had originally loaded 650 tons, was leaking out of the wreck’s tanks.

Location of the wreck of the SS Mopang (red star in the small map) on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The red frame marks the location of the SAR image details shown below.

Data

SAR Examples

Sensor

Acquisition Date

SAR Image

Sentinel 1A SAR-C

5 September 2018

Sentinel 1A SAR-C

7 July 2018

ALOS-2 PALSAR-2

13 August 2017

ALOS-2 PALSAR-2

21 June 2015

Results

Publications