A slick from the stranded Caroline Bezengi now covers nearly 400 square kilometres near a protected marine reserve, and satellite analysts say there is still no sign of a salvage response more than two months after the tanker was disabled.
The Caroline Bezengi first reported difficulties on June 8 off Yemen. Two maritime security sources said initial assessments pointed to a blast onboard, though no party has claimed responsibility for attacking the vessel.
The 274-metre tanker, built in 2001, was carrying close to one million barrels of Russian oil bound for Asia at the time.
Oman's Environment Authority said Monday the slick covers roughly 390 square kilometres (150 square miles), extending northeast of the Hallaniyat Islands to within an estimated seven kilometres of the coast.
Greenpeace last week put the figure higher, estimating the slick at around 600 square kilometres based on satellite imagery analysis. A separate Reuters review of satellite data and shipping records found the spill was still spreading at the end of last month.
Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik issued a royal decree last year creating a nature reserve around the Hallaniyat Islands, home to wildlife including Arabian Sea humpback whales and Socotra cormorants. Oman's Environment Authority said there is no concern for facilities in the area, including water desalination plants and tourist facilities.
Tony Gutierrez, professor of environmental microbiology and biotechnology at Heriot-Watt University, said a spill of this scale requires dispersant sprayed by aircraft along with booms and other equipment to collect oil before it reaches shore or sinks to the seafloor.
"If this oil is kept offshore, the impact will be much less than if the oil reaches shallower waters and the actual coastline," Gutierrez said, citing risks to coral, birds and fish. He noted that after the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, remnants of oil were still found a decade later.
John Amos, CEO of the nonprofit SkyTruth, said that although the incident has continued for more than two months, there has been no sign of vessel activity at the site suggesting an effort to stabilize the Caroline Bezengi or remove its remaining oil cargo.
"We haven't seen that on publicly available satellite imagery. We haven't seen that on satellite-collected AIS tracking data. And that's a concern," Amos said.
The Caroline Bezengi loaded at Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in April and passed through the Suez Canal at the end of May, according to ship-tracking data. It is part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet of older tankers that lack Western insurance and sail under flags of various nations to obscure ownership.
The vessel was listed on public databases as flying the Cameroon flag but was among 39 ships de-listed from Cameroon's registry in June. It is currently sanctioned by the European Union, Ukraine, the UK, Canada and Switzerland.
Its registered owner is Rentoor Shipmanagement Ltd, and its manager is Villar Shipmanagement Ltd, according to LSEG data. Both firms appear to be based in China; Reuters said it could not immediately reach them for comment.
The tanker was carrying close to one million barrels of Russian crude oil bound for Asia when it first reported difficulties on June 8.
Oman's Environment Authority measured the slick at about 390 square kilometres, while Greenpeace estimated it at around 600 square kilometres using satellite imagery.
Sultan Haitham bin Tarik declared it a nature reserve last year. It hosts Arabian Sea humpback whales and Socotra cormorants.
Yes. It is under sanctions from the European Union, Ukraine, the UK, Canada and Switzerland, and is linked to Russia's shadow fleet.
SkyTruth's John Amos says satellite imagery and AIS tracking data show no sign of vessel activity to stabilize the tanker or remove its remaining cargo.
Courtesy: www.reuters.com
