The tanker Caroline Bezengi, part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” leaked oil after running aground off the coast of Oman. The resulting slick, covering roughly 390 square kilometers (about 150 square miles), lies northeast of the Hallaniyat Islands, Oman’s Environment Authority said.
The slick sits about 7 kilometers, or roughly 4 miles, from shore, according to the agency.
Oman has never before reported environmental damage from a sanctioned tanker’s oil spill; in Monday’s disclosure, the government said it was seeking to address the leak, according to Reuters. Last week, the environmental group Greenpeace estimated the slick’s area at approximately 600 square kilometers, or about 230 square miles, based on an analysis of satellite images.
The Cameroon-flagged tanker left the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in April carrying oil and ran aground in the Arabian Sea off Oman’s coast in early June. An explosion is believed to have occurred on board, maritime security sources told Reuters, though its cause remains unknown.
Tankers in Russia’s shadow fleet carry oil in violation of sanctions that Western countries imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Companies linked to Russia acquire aging vessels to carry it.
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