RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 3 sourcesThe vessel first reported distress off Yemen in early June following what maritime sources said appeared to be an explosion on board
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An expanding oil spill off the coast of Oman is becoming one of the most severe marine environmental disasters in recent years after spreading largely unchecked for weeks, according to international bodies, satellite data and environmental groups.
Crude leaking from a grounded tanker carrying Russian oil reached the Omani mainland on Wednesday, the UN shipping agency told Reuters.
The sanctioned ship, the Caroline Bezengi, ran aground on 30 June at an Omani island inside a marine nature reserve while carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels of crude.
Satellite imagery analysed for Reuters by John Amos, an oil spill specialist and chief executive of SkyTruth, a non-profit organisation that uses satellite imagery to support conservation, indicates the slick now covers over 2,000 square kilometres.
The 25-year-old vessel first reported distress off Yemen on 8 June following what maritime sources said appeared to be an explosion on board. No group has claimed responsibility, but the ship passed through two separate conflict zones on its route from Russia to India.
In April, it departed the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, a major flashpoint in the Russia-Ukraine war where Ukrainian forces have targeted a "shadow fleet" transporting Russian crude.
Ship-tracking data shows it passed through the Suez Canal in late May before sailing past Yemen, where Iran-aligned Houthi militants are involved in a broader regional conflict with the United States, Israel and Iran.
Insurers and analysts warn that complex regulations linked to war zones and sanctions are obstructing response efforts.
The IOPC Funds, an intergovernmental agency handling compensation for spills, told Reuters it would not cover clean-up costs because the incident is being treated as an "act of war" rather than an accident.
The vessel is also not insured by any recognised Western provider.
Warning of the potential consequences, Amos said: "A nightmare scenario is there's no adequate response to keep the worst from happening." He stated that the ship would "continue to break up under the steady onslaught of wind and waves and to lose the entire cargo and that could be a spill upwards of 40 to 50 million gallons."
A release of that magnitude would rival the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in size.
The vessel has a similar capacity to the Sanchi, an Iranian tanker that collided with a freighter off China in 2018.
Grounded at Al-Qibliyyah Island, part of a reserve including the Hallaniyat Islands, the leak imperils coral reefs, humpback whales and endangered turtles.
The UN's International Maritime Organization said seasonal monsoon conditions have restricted access to the vessel and delayed salvage operations.
"Oil is drifting offshore to the northeast of (Oman's) Al-Qibliyyah Island, with some oil reported to be reaching the mainland.
Oil spill contingency planning is in place," an IMO spokesperson told Reuters.
Oman stated on Monday that the slick spanned nearly 400 square kilometres and that containment booms had been deployed. However, environmental groups report the spread has accelerated rapidly.
Hanen Keskes, political campaigns lead for Greenpeace in the Middle East, said: "The affected area went from around 45 square km by the end of July, to 150 at the beginning of August. And then within two days, it quadrupled to 600 by the 4th or 5th of August,"
Amos noted that necessary measures include stabilising the vessel and offloading its remaining crude. He added: "The longer we wait, the more damaged and decrepit that tanker gets, the more complicated and difficult and potentially dangerous that salvage operation is going to be," he said.
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