Major oil spill off Oman reaches mainland beaches

A major oil spill off Oman has spread to the country’s mainland, polluting beaches along the central coast, environmental authorities have said.

Oil from the Caroline Bezengi, a tanker that has been leaking crude since running aground off Oman in June, has reached beaches in Ras Madrakah, affecting up to 40km (25 miles) of coastline, the sultanate’s Environment Authority said on Wednesday.

Oil is also expected to reach the southern coast of Masirah Island, about 15km (9 miles) off the Omani coast, in the “coming hours”, affecting a 10-20 km (6-12 mile) stretch of coastline, the authority said.

“Specialised teams continue to carry out monitoring, follow-up, and response operations and to take the necessary measures to limit the spread of pollution and minimise its potential impacts, with priority given to areas of high environmental sensitivity,” the authority said in a statement.

Omani authorities said earlier this week that the spill measured nearly 400 square kilometres (154 square miles), with the slick concentrated around the Hallaniyat archipelago, home to a marine reserve established last year to preserve the habitats of sea turtles and other aquatic life.

Environmental groups including Greenpeace have estimated that the spill is significantly larger than indicated by Omani authorities.

The Caroline Bezengi has been disabled near Oman’s Al Hallaniyat Islands since June 8, when the ship’s crew reported a suspected explosion.

The cause of the incident has not been reported.

Western governments have identified the Caroline Bezengi, which most recently sailed under the flag of Cameroon, as part of Russia’s shadow fleet used to transport Russian oil, which has been heavily sanctioned since Moscow launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Built in 2001, the tanker is currently under sanctions in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada and Ukraine.

Rentoor Shipmanagement and Villar Shipmanagement, both based in China, are registered as the ship’s owner and operator, respectively, according to the open-source database OpenSanctions.

Environmental groups have expressed alarm at the fallout of the widening spill on the region’s coastlines and ecosystems.

Last week, Greenpeace warned of the risk of an “unprecedented oil disaster” without urgent action to contain the spill.

Christopher D’Elia, a specialist in oil spills and a professor emeritus at Louisiana State University in the United States, said the estimated 800,000 barrels of crude on board the Caroline Bezengi would amount to a “fairly large spill”.

“This spill raises a lot of issues,” D’Elia told Al Jazeera.

“These illegal tankers don’t comply with the ‘polluter pays’ principle that is the basis for how the US and other developed nations regulate spills,” D’Elia said.

“The ‘responsible party’ must finance the cleanup in the US. In this case, there is no responsible party.”