Two slicks appear in Gulf as huge oil spill off Oman threatens disaster

Two slicks have emerged in Iranian waters, verified through satellite imagery and video by Reuters, amid escalating confrontations between Iran and the United States that have raised alarms over potential environmental harm in the Gulf. Currently, a grounded tanker, the Caroline Bezengi, is leaking Russian crude oil into a protected marine region off Oman, generating a massive slick estimated at 2,000 square kilometers. This incident is not attributed to the Iran-U.S. war.

The first slick surfaced off the southern edge of Qeshm Island, a large, dolphin-shaped island in the Strait of Hormuz near Iran's coastline, as captured by Copernicus’s Sentinel-2 satellites. Wim Zwijnenburg, an environmental researcher at Dutch peace organization PAX, noted the dark coloration of parts of the slick, suggesting it is heavy fuel oil, while a lighter, diluted slick extended up to 160 kilometers around it.

A video posted on August 11 and confirmed by Reuters showed a dark, bubbling liquid washing ashore on the beaches of Suza on Qeshm Island, starkly contrasting with the surrounding turquoise waters.

John Amos, CEO of SkyTruth, which employs satellite imagery to detect oil spills, described this as the largest such incident he has observed since the escalation of tensions between Iran and the U.S. A second slick was identified near the smaller Sirri Island in the center of the Gulf, approximately 100 kilometers southwest of Qeshm and home to some Iranian offshore oil and gas production. Satellite imagery from August 10 and August 13 confirmed the presence of this second slick.

Qeshm Island's slick is likely due to a leak from the Minoan Pioneer, a Liberia-flagged dry bulk ship, which was struck by an unidentified projectile close to Oman's coast in what was suspected to be an Iranian attack on August 3. One crew member went missing during this incident, as reported by maritime security sources. The same leak is believed to have impacted Qeshm Island.

Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, stated via X that oil pollution from the Gulf had reached Qeshm Island, with preliminary evidence pointing to a foreign bulk carrier as the source. However, Reuters could not independently verify the origin of either slick or the substances involved.

The salvage operation for the Minoan Pioneer was hindered by the inability of a tugboat dispatched to secure the grounded vessel to approach it due to difficulties in obtaining permission from Iranian authorities. The Iranian Mission in Geneva did not provide a prompt response to a Reuters request for immediate comment.

The ongoing conflict in the region has complicated efforts to assess and clean up spills in the Gulf, according to Brian Barnes, a satellite oceanographer and research assistant professor at the University of South Florida. The prolonged leaking of oil into the environment allows it to spread out and inflict greater damage on ecosystems and coastlines.