BEIRUT (AP) — Crude oil appeared to be leaking and spreading in recent days from a sanctioned tanker grounded off the coast of Oman, close to a marine protected area, satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press show.
The images, the last of which was on Friday, show an oil sheen covering about 20 square kilometers (8 square miles) and dark spots of crude oil slicks on the shores of Dhofar’s Qibliyah Island, part of the Hallaniyat Islands.
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images indicated that the crude oil was gradually coming out of the tanker in low quantities over the last week, affecting shorelines in the area, and has spread into a thin sheen around the island, said Wim Zwijnenburg, an environmental expert for PAX, a Dutch peace organization that focuses on conflict and the environment.
“The last few days, the imagery indicates an increase in oil coming out, as the size of the ... sheen is growing,” he said. “The main risk is the breaking of the ship” as the windy monsoon season “might take its toll on the hull.” Seas are rough and there are strong winds during the monsoon season of May to September.
Zwijnenburg estimated the tanker is carrying more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil.
Images from July 28 showed the crude was mostly in the bay northwest of the ship, which ran aground off Qibliyah Island, with the oil sheen enveloping the coast, he said.
The 274-meter (899-foot) long Suezmax tanker Caroline Bezengi is sanctioned by the U.K. for carrying oil that originated in Russia and “has been or is likely to be involved in activity whose object or effect is to destabilize Ukraine.” The Cameroon-flagged tanker is also sanctioned by the European Union, Canada and Switzerland.
The tanker has been grounded off the Dhofar coast since June, according to two shipping and maritime news outlets, who reported that the crew reported an explosion on board at the time. The AP was not able to independently confirm the reports.
SynMax Maritime, a geospatial data tracking company, said it obtained images in May showing the tanker at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, in Russia, before its most recent voyage.
“The situation surrounding the tanker Caroline Bezengi is yet another alarming example of the serious environmental risks posed by Russia’s so-called shadow fleet," said Nina Noelle of Greenpeace Germany in a statement shared with AP. As of July 24, she said, the impacts of the leak were already evident. Stretches of coastline and the area’s sensitive marine ecosystem have been polluted and damaged.
“With oil apparently continuing to leak and the tanker stranded in a difficult location, there is a serious risk of a much larger oil disaster, with even more devastating consequences for the region’s coastlines and marine ecosystems,” Noelle said.
The area is part of the Arabian sea reserve, a marine protected area and host to unique mammals and birdlife, including endangered Petrels.
The Omani Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology had ordered the owners of the vessel to remove it and its cargo by July 23. It is not clear if the owners have replied.
