Oman said that an oil spill from a tanker had reached its shores
Kyiv • UNN
Oil from the tanker Caroline Bezengi, which ran aground in June, has contaminated beaches in Ras Madrakah. The slick is expected to reach the southern coast of Masirah Island in the coming hours.
A significant oil spill off the coast of Oman has spread to the country's mainland, contaminating beaches along the central coast, environmental authorities said, UNN reports, citing Al Jazeera.
Details
Oil from the tanker Caroline Bezengi, which began leaking in June after running aground off the coast of Oman, has reached the beaches at Ras Madrakah, affecting up to 40 km of coastline, the Sultanate's Environment Authority said on Wednesday.
The oil is also expected to reach the southern coast of Masirah Island, approximately 15 km off the coast of Oman, in the "coming hours," affecting a 10–20-kilometre stretch of shoreline, the authority said.
"Specialized teams continue to conduct monitoring, further action and response, as well as take the necessary measures to limit the spread of the pollution and minimize its potential impact, with priority given to areas of high environmental sensitivity," the authority said in a statement.
Omani authorities said earlier this week that the spill covered nearly 400 square kilometres, with the slick concentrated around the Hallaniyat archipelago, where a marine reserve was established last year to preserve habitats for sea turtles and other aquatic life.
Environmental groups, including Greenpeace, estimated that the spill was significantly larger than indicated by the Omani authorities.
The Caroline Bezengi has been experiencing a malfunction near Oman's Al-Hallaniyat Islands since June 8, when the vessel's crew reported a suspected explosion.
The cause of the incident has not been reported.
Western governments have identified the tanker Caroline Bezengi, which recently sailed under the flag of Cameroon, as part of Russia's shadow fleet used to transport Russian oil, which has been subject to strict sanctions since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Built in 2001, the tanker is currently under sanctions in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada and Ukraine.
Rentoor Shipmanagement and Villar Shipmanagement, both based in China, are listed as the vessel's owner and operator, respectively, according to the open-source database OpenSanctions.
Environmental groups have expressed concern about the consequences of the spill's expansion for the region's coastline and ecosystems.
Last week, Greenpeace warned of the risk of an "unprecedented oil disaster" unless urgent action was taken to contain the spill.
Christopher D'Elia, an oil-spill specialist and emeritus professor at Louisiana State University in the United States, said that approximately 800,000 barrels of oil aboard the Caroline Bezengi would constitute a "fairly large spill."
"This spill raises many questions," D'Elia told Al Jazeera.
"These illegal tankers do not adhere to the 'polluter pays' principle, which is the basis of how the United States and other developed countries regulate spills," D'Elia said.
The "responsible party" should finance the cleanup in the United States. In this case, there is no responsible party," D'Elia noted.