Russian Oil Spill Near Oman: Slick Covers Hundreds of Square Kilometers

The oil slick, which previously formed near the coast of Oman due to damage to a sanctioned tanker carrying Russian crude, has significantly enlarged. Its area now reaches about 390 square kilometers, as seen in satellite imagery.

What is known about the incident

On Monday, 10 August, Oman revealed for the first time details of the environmental consequences of the incident and said they were trying to contain the leak near Hadhalaniyat Islands, reports Reuters.

The pollution stretched to the northeast toward the mainland and, in places, approached the coast to a distance of 7 kilometers.

By the way, the vessel Caroline Bezengi is under EU and UK sanctions for transporting Russian fuel. Problems on the tanker began in 8 June near Yemen's port of Mokha.

According to two media sources, an initial assessment indicated an explosion on board, but the exact cause of the damage to the ship remains unknown. It last transmitted a signal in the public AIS tracking system 11 in June off the coast of Yemen.

For reference, Russia uses a so-called shadow fleet to circumvent Western oil export restrictions. It often includes old tankers in poor technical condition, which increases the risk of accidents and spills.

Moreover, Europeans have still not been able to completely ban such sea transports. The point is that initially the idea required G7-level approval, and when that was no longer necessary – Greece and Malta opposed it. Mediterranean countries fear that tightened sanctions will hit their shipping industries, while some market share will be taken by competitors from other countries.

Interestingly, exactly Greek companies are among those who earned the most from transporting Russian oil over the last three years, and this is at least 3,8 billion dollars.