Caroline Bezengi oil spill off Oman expands to 150 sq km

Caroline Bezengi Oman oil spill Qibliyah Island Russian crude Greenpeace

The 274‑metre Suezmax tanker Caroline Bezengi, flagged in Cameroon and sanctioned by the United Kingdom for carrying Russian crude, has been grounded off Oman’s southern coast since June after an onboard explosion. The vessel was loaded with roughly one million barrels of crude oil at the Sheskharis terminal on Russia’s Black Sea in May.

Satellite imagery reviewed by NGOs shows the oil sheen has grown dramatically, expanding from about 20 sq km in late July to an estimated 150–600 sq km by early August. The spill now covers large stretches of Qibliyah Island in Oman’s Dhofar governorate, a marine protected area that hosts endangered petrels and the Arabian Sea humpback whale, and threatens local fishing communities.

Greenpeace and the Dutch peace group PAX warned the spill could cause a regional environmental catastrophe. The International Maritime Organization has offered assistance to Omani authorities, while the tanker remains under sanctions from the EU, Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Entities: Caroline Bezengi · Greenpeace · Greenpeace Germany · International Maritime Organization · Oman · PAX · Qibliyah Island · Sheskharis terminal · United Kingdom

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 6 SOURCES] The spill is affecting Qibliyah Island and the surrounding marine protected area in Oman's Dhofar governorate. (environmental NGOs and satellite imagery)
[● 6 SOURCES] The tanker was loaded with approximately 800,000 to 1,000,000 barrels of Russian crude oil from the Sheskharis terminal in the Black Sea. (shipping data and Kpler)
[● 4 SOURCES] The International Maritime Organization is offering assistance to Oman regarding the oil spill. (IMO statement to AFP)
[● 2 SOURCES] The tanker is sanctioned by the United Kingdom and other Western countries for carrying oil that supports Russia. (UK government sanction notice)
[● 8 SOURCES] The Suezmax tanker Caroline Bezengi has been grounded off the coast of Oman since June after an onboard explosion. (maritime reports and UKMTO)
[● 7 SOURCES] Greenpeace and PAX warned that the spill threatens marine wildlife, including endangered petrels and the Arabian Sea humpback whale, and local fishing communities. (NGO statements)
[● 2 SOURCES] The tanker is flagged in Cameroon and also sanctioned by the EU, Canada and Switzerland. (sanctions lists)
[● 6 SOURCES] The oil spill area expanded from about 20 square kilometres in late July to an estimated 150–600 square kilometres by early August. (satellite imagery analysis)