An oil spill from a grounded tanker off the coast of Oman has created a slick covering nearly 400 square kilometres, according to an official statement issued by Oman’s government. The vessel involved, the Caroline Bezengi, is loaded with close to one million barrels of crude oil and has been grounded for weeks near the Hallaniyat Islands in Oman’s Dhofar Governorate.
Oman Reports Major Oil Spill Covering Hundreds of Square Kilometers
Maritime security sources indicated there were indications of a blast aboard the vessel prior to its grounding, with difficulties first reported off Yemen on June 8. No party has taken responsibility for attacking the ship. Oman’s Environment Authority stated that the oil slick covers some 390 square kilometres (150 square miles) and extends northeast of the islands, remaining within an estimated seven kilometres of the coast. The authority added that there was no immediate concern for local facilities, including water desalination plants and tourist areas.
Vessel Background and Shadow Fleet Connections
The stranded vessel is a 274-metre (900-foot) Suezmax tanker built in 2001. Ship-tracking data shows the Caroline Bezengi loaded crude at Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in April before passing through the Suez Canal at the end of May.
The tanker is part of Russia’s shadow fleet of older oil tankers that lack Western insurance cover and sail under various flags to obscure their true ownership. Public shipping databases listed the vessel as flying the Cameroon flag, though it was among 39 vessels de-listed from Cameroon’s ship registry in June. The ship is subject to international sanctions imposed by the European Union, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland due to its role in carrying Russian oil cargoes. According to LSEG data, the registered owner of the ship is Rentoor Shipmanagement Ltd and its manager is Villar Shipmanagement Ltd, while other reports have indicated the owners are believed to be based in Shanghai.
Environmental Impact on Protected Marine Life
The grounding site is located within a nature reserve established by a royal decree issued last year by Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. The affected marine protected area serves as a vital habitat for endangered wildlife, including the rare Arabian Sea humpback whale, petrels, and Socotra cormorants.
Environmental organizations have closely monitored the worsening situation through satellite imagery. Satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press show that the tanker appears to have become further submerged in recent weeks, with crude oil leaking and reaching the shores of Qibliyah Island off Oman’s southwest coast. Experts from organizations including Greenpeace Germany and PAX, a Dutch environmental conflict-tracking organization, noted that the spill expanded rapidly over the course of July and early August, with different analyses estimating various surface spread dimensions as weather conditions and sea currents shifted the oil sheen and thick patches.
Omani Government Response and Containment Challenges
Oman’s government announced it was responding to the incident through its state news agency, marking its first public disclosure on the environmental impact. Authorities stated they are observing the affected area using satellite images, field surveys, and technical models, with response teams standing ready to implement necessary procedures to protect marine life and navigation safety.
Environmental experts have emphasized that a spill of this scale requires extensive remediation efforts, including spraying dispersants from aircraft and deploying booms and collection equipment to intercept the oil before it reaches the shorelines or sinks to the sea floor. Meanwhile, the status of direct rescue, salvage, or leak-stopping operations remains unclear.
