Oman trying to contain extensive oil spill from stricken tanker

Oman says it is working to contain an oil spill off its southern coast that covers almost 400 square kilometres (150 square miles) from a stricken tanker stranded for more than a month inside a protected marine area.

The Oman Environment Authority said on Monday that the ongoing spill was within an estimated 7km (4.4 miles) of the coast, according to its most recent analysis.

Environmental group Greenpeace last week estimated the slick at around 600 square kilometres (230 square miles), citing analysis of satellite imagery.

The Caroline Bezengi loaded at Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in April and passed through the Suez Canal at the end of May, ship-tracking data shows. An investigation by the AFP news agency found that the tanker had been stranded since early June near Oman’s al-Qibliyyah Island after it was rocked by an explosion, causing water to enter several sections of the vessel.

The slick was concentrated around Oman’s Hallaniyat archipelago, where Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said established a marine reserve last year to protect sensitive ecosystems home to diverse marine life, including rare sea turtles.

The country’s environment authority said rapid action was needed to protect the area’s biodiversity, including “coral reefs, turtle nesting areas, marine habitats and coastal areas of ecological importance”.

A report in the state-backed Oman News Agency quoted an official with the Transport Ministry as saying authorities were conducting aerial surveillance and had deployed divers.

The official said authorities were in the early stages of developing a plan to transfer the vessel’s oil cargo “to reduce the risks arising from the incident, ensure navigational safety and protect the marine environment”.

Omani authorities have not yet identified the cause of the spill.

Greenpeace and Dutch peace organisation PAX told AFP that the spill was on the verge of causing an “environmental disaster”, saying the tanker was carrying around one million barrels of crude bound for Asia.

The ship is believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”, which Moscow uses to circumvent Western sanctions on its oil exports, with ships sailing under the flags of various nations to obscure their true ownership.

The fleet includes ageing vessels that have faced criticism over maintenance, insurance and safety standards.

The Caroline Bezengi is subject to sanctions imposed by the European Union, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Canada and Switzerland.

Tankers have been frequently targeted in the Gulf region since the US-Israel war on Iran began at the end of February.