Oil from grounded tanker reaches the coast of Oman
dpaBerlinOil from the tanker that ran aground off the coast of Oman has reached the mainland.The spilled crude oil is continuing to drift north-east past the Omani island of Al-Qib...
Crude oil from the grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi has reached Oman's coast, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The tanker, part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" and subject to EU sanctions, was carrying 130,000 tonnes of oil when it began leaking "for some time". Monsoon conditions in the region have delayed salvage efforts, causing the oil to drift further north-east, past the island of Al-Qibiliya and onto the mainland.
An emergency plan has been put in place to address the potential oil spill. Greenpeace has warned of an environmental disaster of "enormous proportions," as the area contaminated by the oil has expanded to 1,000 square kilometres. Satellite images from Tuesday revealed the extent of the contamination, and Greenpeace highlighted the risks to the region's coral reefs, sea turtles, migratory birds, and marine mammals.
The Caroline Bezengi is stranded in an ecologically sensitive area off Oman's coast. The tanker is believed to have loaded its cargo at Russia's Novorossiysk port, but experienced an incident at sea in early June that led to its current predicament. The vessel had stopped transmitting location data prior to the incident and was reportedly en route to an Indian port.
Written by urgent.news from Qatar Tribune's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
