The tanker Caroline Bezengi, a vessel belonging to the Russian shadow fleet, has caused an oil spill near a marine protected area in Oman. The 274-meter-long tanker was sailing under the flag of Cameroon when the spill occurred.
According to the Oman environmental authority, the oil spill covers an area of 390 square kilometers. Other reports indicate different figures for the affected area: Greenpeace reported the spill increased to 600 square kilometers by August 4, while satellite imagery shows an oil slick of almost 800 square kilometers off the Hallaniyat Islands.
110,000 tons
Crude oil carried by the Caroline Bezengi, valued at 44 million euros.
The vessel was carrying 110,000 tons of crude oil, which Greenpeace estimated to be 800,000 barrels. The tanker, built in 2001 at a South Korean shipyard, had previously been named SCF Altai.
Vessel history and sanctions
The Caroline Bezengi loaded cargo at the Russian port of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea in April and passed through the Suez Canal in late May. Explosions occurred on the tanker on June 6, and according to the vessel tracking portal Marine Traffic, the ship's last location signal from the area was on June 11. The crew of the vessel was rescued unharmed on June 12.
The tanker is subject to sanctions by the United States, the European Union, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland. The vessel is also listed by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The registered owner of the ship is Rentoor Shipmanagement Ltd, based in the Huangpu Qu district of Shanghai, China, and the manager is Villar Shipmanagement Ltd. While the Russian state shipping company Sovcomflot is considered the true owner, the vessel is part of the Russian shadow fleet, which consists of nearly 1,400 potentially old, uninsured, and third-country flagged vessels used to help Russia bypass Western sanctions.
Environmental concerns and response
The spill affects waters near islands that Hanen Keskes, a Greenpeace campaign organizer, identified as critical nesting sites for many seabirds and shores used by sea turtles for breeding. Keskes also noted that the rare Arabian Sea humpback whale lives in the surrounding waters.
This is a significant increase, which indicates a deterioration in the ship's condition.
On August 9, Abdullah bin Ali Al-Omari, head of the Oman environmental authority, announced that a national oil pollution response plan had been launched.
Greenpeace has demanded immediate intervention by international organizations to avert the risk of an unprecedented oil spill. The Dutch environmental and peace organization Pax has also called for international action.
Updates
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30 and is now approximately 22 nautical miles offshore, has been confirmed to be partially submerged and listing, with only one of its six tanks intact; the International Maritime Organization cited monsoon conditions delaying salvage efforts, while the IOPC Funds declared the incident an 'act of war' and declined to cover cleanup costs, and satellite analysis by SkyTruth’s John Amos suggests the oil slick may now exceed 2,000 square kilometers — a potential spill of 40 to 50 million gallons that could rival the Exxon Valdez disaster — as Greenpeace reported the affected area quadrupled to 600 square kilometers by August 5.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30 and is now 22 nautical miles offshore, has been confirmed to be partially submerged and listing, with only one of its six tanks undamaged; the oil slick has expanded from 45 sq km at the end of July to 600 sq km by August 5, and while the IMO is monitoring the leak, cleanup costs will not be covered by the IOPC Funds due to the incident being classified as an 'act of war' — a claim disputed by John Amos of SkyTruth, who warns the entire 110,000-ton cargo could be lost, potentially creating a spill rivaling Exxon Valdez.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30, is now partially submerged and listing, with oil leakage estimated at 7 kilometers from shore; satellite analysis by John Amos of SkyTruth suggests the slick has expanded to over 2,000 square kilometers — a figure disputed by other sources — while Greenpeace reported the affected area quadrupled to 600 square km by early August, and the IOPC Funds confirmed it will not cover cleanup costs as the incident is classified as an 'act of war.'
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded on June 30 and is now 22 nautical miles offshore, has partially sunk with a list, and Omani authorities confirmed on July 12 that only one of its six tanks remained undamaged; the spill, initially estimated at 45 sq km in late July, has expanded to 600 sq km by early August, while satellite analysis by SkyTruth suggests the slick now exceeds 2,000 sq km — a claim disputed by some — and the IOPC Funds have ruled out compensation, labeling the incident an 'act of war'.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30, is now partially submerged and listing, with its entire cargo of 110,000 tons of Russian Urals crude at risk of total release; satellite analysis by John Amos of SkyTruth suggests the oil slick has expanded to over 2,000 square kilometers — a figure disputed by others — while Greenpeace reported the affected area quadrupled to 600 square kilometers by August 5, and the IOPC Funds confirmed it will not fund cleanup, classifying the incident as an 'act of war'.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30, is now approximately 22 nautical miles offshore, partially submerged and listing, with satellite analysis suggesting the oil slick has expanded from 45 sq km in late July to 600 sq km by August 5 — a quadrupling in less than a week — while the IMO confirms salvage is delayed by monsoon conditions and the IOPC Funds refuses coverage, labeling the incident an 'act of war'; oil specialist John Amos warns the vessel may release up to 50 million gallons, rivaling the Exxon Valdez spill, though this estimate remains disputed.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30, is now approximately 22 nautical miles offshore and partially submerged with a list, having leaked oil that has spread from 45 km² at the end of July to 600 km² by August 5, according to Greenpeace; the IMO confirms salvage is delayed by monsoon conditions, while the IOPC Funds refuse coverage, citing an 'act of war,' and satellite analyst John Amos warns the vessel may release up to 50 million gallons — rivaling the Exxon Valdez spill — as it continues to break apart.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30, is now partially submerged and listing, with its full cargo of 110,000 tons of Russian Urals crude oil at risk of total release; satellite analysis by John Amos of SkyTruth suggests the oil slick has expanded to over 2,000 square kilometers — a figure disputed by some — while Greenpeace reported the affected area quadrupled to 600 square kilometers by August 5, and the IOPC Funds confirmed it will not cover cleanup costs, classifying the incident as an 'act of war'.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30, is now partially submerged and listing, with oil leakage estimated at 7 kilometers from shore; the spill’s surface area has surged from 45 sq km in late July to 600 sq km by August 5, while the IMO confirms salvage efforts are delayed by monsoon conditions and the IOPC Funds refuse coverage, labeling the incident an 'act of war' — though satellite analysis by SkyTruth suggests the slick may now exceed 2,000 sq km, potentially rivaling the Exxon Valdez spill if the entire 110,000-ton cargo is lost.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30 and is now 22 nautical miles offshore, has been confirmed to be partially submerged and listing, with only one of its six tanks undamaged; satellite analysis by SkyTruth suggests the oil slick may now exceed 2,000 square kilometers — a figure disputed by some — while Greenpeace reported the affected area quadrupled to 600 square kilometers by August 4, and the IOPC Funds confirmed it will not cover cleanup costs as the incident is classified as an 'act of war'.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30, is now approximately 22 nautical miles offshore, partially submerged and listing, with oil leakage estimated at 7 kilometers from the coast; the International Maritime Organization confirms salvage efforts are delayed by monsoon conditions, while the IOPC Funds refuse to cover cleanup costs, labeling the incident an 'act of war' — satellite analysis by SkyTruth suggests the slick may now exceed 2,000 square kilometers, and Greenpeace reports the affected area quadrupled to 600 square kilometers by August 5, with experts warning the vessel could release up to 50 million gallons of crude as it continues to break apart.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30 and is now 22 nautical miles offshore, has been confirmed to be partially submerged and listing, with only one of its six tanks undamaged; the oil slick has expanded from 45 sq km at the end of July to 600 sq km by August 5, and while the IMO is monitoring the leak, salvage operations are delayed by monsoon conditions, and the IOPC Funds have refused to cover cleanup costs, classifying the incident as an 'act of war' — a claim disputed by John Amos of SkyTruth, who warns the vessel may release up to 50 million gallons of oil, rivaling the Exxon Valdez spill.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30 and is now 22 nautical miles offshore with a partial list and one of six tanks undamaged, has seen its oil slick expand from 45 km² at the end of July to 600 km² by August 5, according to Greenpeace, while satellite analysis by SkyTruth suggests the spill may now exceed 2,000 km² — a claim disputed by some; the IMO confirms salvage is delayed by monsoon conditions, and the IOPC Funds have ruled the incident an 'act of war,' excluding it from compensation, as the vessel continues to risk releasing its full 110,000-ton cargo of Russian Urals crude.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30, is now partially submerged and listing, with its entire cargo of 110,000 tons of Russian Urals crude still intact but at risk of total release as it continues to break up, according to maritime authorities and oil spill analyst John Amos, who warned the spill could reach 40–50 million gallons—rivaling Exxon Valdez—while Greenpeace reported the oil slick expanded from 45 km² in late July to 600 km² by August 5; the IMO confirmed salvage is delayed by monsoon conditions, and the IOPC Funds ruled the incident an 'act of war,' excluding it from compensation coverage.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, now confirmed to be carrying 130,000 tons of Russian Urals crude oil — up from the previously reported 110,000 tons — has grounded since June 30 and is partially submerged with five of six tanks fully loaded, while the oil slick has expanded to 1,000 square kilometers according to verified satellite data from Greenpeace, with pollution reaching Oman’s Ras Madrakah coast and threatening up to 40 kilometers of shoreline; the IMO confirmed the spill has reached land, and salvage efforts are hampered by monsoon conditions, while the IOPC Funds ruled out compensation, citing an 'act of war,' and experts warn the vessel may lose its entire cargo, potentially spilling 4
The tanker Caroline Bezengi was carrying 130,000 tons of crude oil — an increase from the previously reported 110,000 tons — and has now grounded off Oman since June 30, with its oil slick confirmed by verified satellite data to have expanded to 1,000 square kilometers, reaching Oman’s mainland coast at Ras Madrakah and threatening up to 40 kilometers of shoreline; the IMO confirmed the spill has reached land, while the IOPC Funds declined to cover cleanup costs, citing an 'act of war,' and salvage efforts are hindered by monsoon conditions and the vessel’s deteriorating state, with experts warning it may lose its full cargo.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, now confirmed to be carrying 130,000 tons of Russian Urals crude oil — up from the previously reported 110,000 tons — has grounded since June 30 and is partially submerged with five of six tanks fully loaded, while the oil slick has expanded to 1,000 square kilometers according to verified satellite data from Greenpeace, with the spill now reaching Oman’s Ras Madrakah coast and threatening up to 40 kilometers of shoreline; the IMO confirmed the spill has reached land, and salvage efforts are hampered by monsoon conditions and the vessel’s deteriorating structure, with experts warning it could release up to 50 million gallons if it breaks apart entirely.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi was carrying 130,000 tons of Russian Urals crude oil — an increase from the previously reported 110,000 tons — and has now grounded since June 30, with oil confirmed to have reached Oman’s coast at Ras Madrakah and potentially contaminating up to 40 km of shoreline; Greenpeace verified the spill has expanded to 1,000 square kilometers, while the IMO confirmed salvage operations are delayed by monsoon conditions and the IOPC Funds ruled out compensation, classifying the incident as an 'act of war.'
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, now confirmed to be carrying 130,000 tons (800,000 barrels) of Russian Urals crude oil — up from the previously reported 110,000 tons — has grounded since June 30 and is partially submerged with five of six tanks fully loaded, while the oil spill has expanded to 1,000 square kilometers according to verified satellite data from Greenpeace, reaching Oman’s Ras Madrakah coast and threatening up to 40 km of shoreline; the IMO confirmed the spill has reached land, and salvage efforts are hampered by monsoon conditions, with the IOPC Funds excluding coverage due to the incident being classified as an 'act of war'.
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, now confirmed to be carrying 130,000 tons of Russian Urals crude oil — up from the previously reported 110,000 tons — has grounded since June 30 and is partially submerged with five of six tanks fully loaded, while the oil spill has expanded to 1,000 square kilometers according to verified satellite data from Greenpeace, with the slick now reaching Oman’s mainland coast at Ras Madrakah and threatening up to 40 km of shoreline; the IMO confirmed the spill has reached shore, and salvage efforts are hindered by monsoon conditions, while the IOPC Funds ruled out compensation, citing an 'act of war,' and experts warn the vessel may rupture entirely, risking up to 50M-
