- Oil from the grounded Caroline Bezengi has contaminated about 7.5 miles of Oman’s Ras Madrakah coastline.
- The tanker had been carrying about 800,000 barrels of Russian crude when it ran aground in June.
- Salvage teams are working to contain the spill as environmental concerns grow along Oman’s coast.
Oil leaking from the Russian tanker Caroline Bezengi has spread across about 7.5 miles of Oman’s Ras Madrakah coastline, raising fresh concerns over the environmental impact of the weeks-long spill.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the contamination has reached Ras Madrakah, a beach area along Oman’s Arabian Sea coast, according to the country’s official state news agency. The development comes as oil from the grounded vessel continues to spread across a large area of the sea.
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The Caroline Bezengi was involved in an incident in June before eventually running aground near an uninhabited rocky island off Oman. The cause of the initial incident remains unclear, and no group has claimed responsibility for the strike.
The tanker, which is believed to be part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, had been carrying hundreds of thousands of barrels of Russian crude. Reuters reported that the vessel was carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels when it ran aground on June 30.
Satellite imagery first showed signs of an oil leak on June 30, according to John Amos of environmental monitoring organisation SkyTruth. Amos estimated that hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil had spilled by August 7.
The potential scale of the disaster remains significant. Five of the tanker’s six cargo holds were reportedly filled with oil, meaning the vessel could have been carrying as much as 40 million gallons.
The spill has already spread across hundreds of square kilometres of ocean. Reuters reported that satellite analysis put the slick at more than 2,000 square kilometres, while Oman’s Environment Authority warned that around 40 kilometres of coastline near Ras Madrakah and Masirah Island could be affected.
Environmental experts have warned that the spill could cause lasting damage to marine ecosystems, particularly because the affected waters include a protected marine area that is home to endangered species such as Arabian Sea humpback whales and Socotra cormorants.
Efforts are now underway to contain the leak and stabilise the vessel. Ambrey, a British maritime risk and response company, has been coordinating salvage operations involving specialist vessels, aircraft and spill-response equipment.
The continuing spread of crude oil along Oman’s coastline has intensified concerns about the long-term environmental consequences of the abandoned tanker and the challenges involved in cleaning up oil that has already reached beaches.
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