Azerbaijan reviews ecological status of Caspian Sea and Baku Bay

BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 27. A meeting
dedicated to the environmental condition of the Caspian Sea and
Baku Bay was held at the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of
Azerbaijan under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Ali Asadov on
January 27, 2026, Trend reports via the cabinet.

According to information, the meeting focused on the
implementation of the Comprehensive Action Plan for 2025–2030,
which covers the rehabilitation of the Caspian Sea. The plan
includes the removal and isolation of damaged and decommissioned
offshore infrastructure, including abandoned and decommissioned
wells, piers, platforms, as well as sunken and partially sunken
vessels, alongside broader efforts to improve the ecological
situation in Baku Bay.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Asadov stated that aging and
corroded hydrotechnical structures inherited from the Soviet era in
Azerbaijan’s sector of the Caspian Sea, along with decommissioned
or conserved oil wells and the impact of hydrometeorological
factors, have created serious environmental risks. He also noted
that prolonged anthropogenic pressure over many years has led to
deeper pollution in Baku Bay, including the Seaside Boulevard area,
making urgent environmental improvement measures necessary.

Presentations on the Comprehensive Action Plan were delivered by
Elshan Hajizadeh, head of the Industry and Energy Department of the
Cabinet of Ministers. Reports were also heard from Emergency
Situations Minister Kamaladdin Heydarov, First Deputy Minister of
Ecology and Natural Resources Rashad Ismayilov, President of the
Azerbaijan State Oil Company (SOCAR) Rovshan Najaf, and Chairman of
the Board of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Closed Joint-Stock Company
(ASCO) Afgan Jalilov.

Issues related to improving the ecological condition of Baku Bay
were additionally addressed in reports by Khanlar Aghalarov,
chairman of the Seaside Boulevard Administration, and Zaur
Mikayilov, chairman of the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency,
along with other speakers.

Following discussions, relevant state bodies were instructed to
carry out monitoring in the Caspian Sea and develop an interactive
mapping scheme, determine and prioritize the scope of work, study
international best practices, and implement measures based on
public-private partnership principles. Instructions were also given
to dismantle hazardous and unusable hydrotechnical structures and
wells, remove sunken and partially sunken vessels, and assess the
impact of the measures on the marine environment.

In addition, officials were tasked with preparing an action plan
aimed at cleaning Baku Bay, including the removal of exposed metal
structures from nearshore areas after seawater withdrawal,
preventing wastewater discharges into the basin, clearing oil
slicks and floating waste from the water surface, and cleaning
oil-contaminated soils in surrounding areas.