Salvage team boards stricken tanker Caroline Bezengi as oil slick hits Oman coast
A major international salvage operation has been launched to prevent an environmental disaster off Oman by stabilising a stricken oil tanker and limiting an oil spill that has begun reaching the country's coastline. As deteriorating monsoon conditions threaten to complicate rescue efforts, British maritime company Ambrey said on Thursday that it had a team “working around the clock” to salvage…
A multinational salvage team has been dispatched to Oman to stabilise a grounded oil tanker and contain an oil spill that has begun to reach the country's coastline. The Caroline Bezengi, a 274-meter crude oil tanker, is estimated to be carrying 800,000 barrels of Russian crude, some of which is subject to international sanctions.
The vessel ran aground on June 30 near the Hallaniyat Islands in Oman's Dhofar region, likely after an explosion onboard. Salvage vessels have arrived and specialist personnel have boarded the ship to assess its condition and begin stabilization efforts, with support from the Royal Air Force of Oman. The operation involves over 100 tonnes of specialized equipment and is being carried out around the clock due to adverse weather conditions from the Khareef monsoon.
The Caroline Bezengi is carrying a particularly sensitive cargo in environmentally sensitive waters, home to Arabian Sea humpback whales and Socotra cormorants. The spill has already reached over 2,000 square kilometers of coastline, threatening around 40km of shoreline near Ras Madrakah and potentially Masirah Island.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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