Environmental disaster looms as tanker leaks off Oman
An alleged Russian shadow fleet tanker far from the Strait of Hormuz was rocked by explosions and is now leaking oil near a nature reserve.
A satellite image reveals an oil slick near Oman's southern coast, indicative of a tanker leak, according to Copernicus Sentinel Data 2026/AFP. The incident has raised concerns about an impending environmental catastrophe, warns Greenpeace, as the vessel is reportedly stranded near a protected nature reserve. The ship, believed to be part of a shadow fleet of Russian vessels, has been leaking oil across hundreds of square kilometres since an explosion occurred, though the cause remains unclear.
Russia has constructed a fleet of old ships with undisclosed ownership to circumvent Western sanctions since the 2022 Ukraine invasion, heightening the risk of oil spills. Satellite imagery, verified by AFP, shows the oil slick expanding from 20 square kilometres on July 24 to an estimated 600 square kilometres on August 4. Nina Noelle of Greenpeace stated that the risk of a larger environmental disaster is serious, while Wim Zwijnenburg of Dutch peace organisation PAX estimated the same size for the August 4 sheen.
The Caroline Bezengi, the ship suspected to be leaking oil, loaded one million barrels of crude oil at Russia's Black Sea terminal of Sheskharis on May 11 and still had the oil when its last signal was recorded a month later. The ship's location poses a significant threat to the marine ecosystem, including rare sea turtles, migratory seabirds, and the Arabian Sea humpback whale, which nest and breed on the nearby islands.
Timely intervention to salvage the oil tanker is crucial to prevent further damage, according to Zwijnenburg. The International Maritime Organization stated it is currently offering assistance to Oman, though the incident details were not provided.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
