Oman Oil Spill Reaches Coast as Major Tanker Salvage Begins
Specialist crews are mobilizing around the grounded Caroline Bezengi after Russian crude reached Oman's mainland, threatening protected islands and beaches. Monsoon seas, sanctions and unclear liability are complicating the response.
Oman says massive oil spill reaches coastline: What damage could it do?
Arabian Sea Bird and Turtle Habitat Threatened by Oil From Grounded Tanker
Salvors work to secure ship leaking oil off Oman, risk firm Ambrey says
A British firm starts containment of oil spill from stricken tanker off Oman
Massive Oil Spill Spreads Off Oman After Explosion on Sanctioned Russian Tanker
A long-running leak becomes a coastal emergency
Specialist crews have begun a major salvage operation around the grounded Caroline Bezengi after its crude reached Oman’s mainland on Wednesday. Ambrey, the British firm coordinating the response, said vessels, aircraft, experts and 100 metric tons of equipment were being mobilized, while a team had already boarded the tanker with support from the Royal Air Force of Oman.gulfbusiness +1
The tanker ran aground near Al Qibliyyah Island on June 30 after reporting trouble off Yemen earlier that month. It was carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels of Russian crude bound for India; the cause of the apparent explosion or fire remains unexplained, and no party has claimed responsibility.gulfbusiness +1
Monsoon seas raise the stakes for salvors
Ambrey’s immediate task is to stabilize the 25-year-old vessel and its remaining cargo in rough conditions. Southern Oman’s annual Khareef monsoon is restricting access, slowing operations and increasing risks to both the ship and response personnel.gcaptain Satellite-based estimates of the slick have varied as it spread: the Associated Press cited more than 600 square kilometers, while a later expert assessment reported by Al Jazeera put it above 2,000 square kilometers.apnews +1
Sanctions add another layer of difficulty. Britain and the European Union have sanctioned the tanker, which is widely described as part of the aging “shadow fleet” used to move Russian oil, and it lacks coverage from a recognized Western insurer.apnews +1 That leaves uncertainty over who ultimately pays for containment, shoreline cleaning and ecological restoration.
A protected ecosystem is now in the spill’s path
Oil has surrounded Al Qibliyyah Island and contaminated beaches near Ras Madrakah, about 200 kilometers to the north. Oman’s Environment Authority said as much as 40 kilometers of that mainland coast could be affected and warned that southern beaches on Masirah Island were also at risk.aljazeera +1
The location makes the spill especially damaging: the Hallaniyat Islands reserve supports endangered turtles, humpback whales, coral reefs and seabirds including Socotra cormorants.gcaptain +1 The New York Times reported that oil had encircled the rocky island cliffs used by endangered seabirds and spread along roughly 25 miles of mainland beach.nytimes
Oman’s fisheries ministry is monitoring marine life and seafood safety and has told fishermen to avoid the polluted area and report unusual odors or changes in the water.gulfbusiness Stabilizing the tanker may prevent a larger release, but the oil already ashore means the response has shifted from an offshore salvage problem to a prolonged coastal cleanup.