A large oil spill from a stricken tanker has reached Oman’s coastline, the country’s environment agency said on Wednesday, with experts warning it could become one of the worst such incidents in years after spreading largely unchecked for weeks.
The Oman News Agency quoted the Environment Authority as saying that monitoring results showed some beaches in the Ras Madrakah area had been affected by oil pollution. The slick, now concentrated around the Hallaniyat Archipelago off the southern coast, could affect a coastal stretch of up to 40km near Ras Madrakah, and the southern beaches of Masirah Island could be contaminated in the coming hours, the agency added.
Oil has been leaking from the tanker Caroline Bezengi since it ran aground about 22 nautical miles from the Omani town of Sharbithat, some time after its crew reported a suspected explosion on June 8. According to Reuters, the vessel was carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels of sanctioned oil and ran aground on June 30 while en route from Russia to India. An AFP investigation found the ship had been stranded for several weeks near Oman’s al-Qibliyyah Island.
Satellite imagery reviewed by oil spill specialist John Amos indicated the slick now spans more than 2,000 square kilometres, up from roughly 390 square kilometres covered by Monday, when Oman said it was working to contain the spill. The affected area includes the Hallaniyat Archipelago, where a marine reserve was established last year to protect ecosystems home to rare sea turtles and other marine life.
No official explanation has been given for the explosions, and no party has claimed an attack. British maritime security company Vanguard told AFP that the vessel suffered explosions off the coast of Yemen in early June, causing water to enter several sections of the ship. The Caroline Bezengi is believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet used to circumvent Western sanctions, and last sailed under a Cameroonian flag. Open-source database OpenSanctions lists China-based Rentoor Shipmanagement and Villar Shipmanagement as owner and operator respectively; such aging shadow-fleet vessels have often been criticized for poor maintenance, lack of insurance and weak safety standards.
Greenpeace has warned the spill is on the verge of causing an environmental disaster. Christopher D’Elia, an oil spill specialist and professor emeritus at Louisiana State University, told Al Jazeera that the estimated 800,000 barrels of crude on board would amount to a fairly large spill. He noted that illegal tankers of this kind do not comply with the polluter-pays principle that underpins spill regulation in the US and other developed nations, adding: “In this case, there is no responsible party.”
Separately, Iranian media reported on Wednesday that another oil spill in the Strait of Hormuz had reached Qeshm island, affecting beaches and an environmentally sensitive mangrove forest, as well as parts of neighbouring Hengam island. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the pollution appeared to stem from a “foreign bulk carrier,” without naming the ship. The International Maritime Organization has reported 65 incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and across the Middle East since the beginning of March, reflecting the sharply increased risk to tankers amid ongoing regional hostilities.