Iranian news agency ISNA reported Thursday that oil pollution had spread along the southern coasts of Iran’s Qeshm and Hengam islands, covering an estimated 32,000 square metres. Several cleanup teams, including a large number of local volunteers, have been working in the affected areas since Wednesday. Authorities are investigating the source of the pollution in coordination with Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization and Qeshm port authorities, the Arab Times reported.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said salvage vessels were heading to the area to support efforts to recover the Caroline Bezengi tanker off the coast of Oman. The tanker has been leaking crude oil, creating a large slick that has reached parts of Oman’s mainland. The Omani government said on August 10 that the resulting slick covered almost 400 square kilometres, according to Reuters.
Al Jazeera reported that the Caroline Bezengi is believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet that Moscow uses to circumvent Western sanctions on its oil exports. The tanker loaded at Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in April and passed through the Suez Canal at the end of May, ship-tracking data cited by Reuters shows. It has been stranded since an explosion in early June near Oman’s al-Qibliyyah Island, an AFP investigation found.
Reuters reported that although the incident had been ongoing for more than two months, there had not been any sign of vessel activity at the site to suggest a response to stabilize the tanker and remove the remaining oil cargo. SkyTruth CEO John Amos said that was a concern. Oil slicks have also spread to Qeshm’s mangrove forests near Naghasheh village, Iran Wire reported on August 12.
Yousef Opera, head of the Qeshm Department of Natural Resources and Watershed Management, noted that authorities are currently assessing the extent of contamination within the Hara forests. Responsible agencies have initiated cleanup operations and containment measures, the publication said. The Qeshm prosecutor ordered the Ports and Maritime Organization and municipal authorities to clear the oil slicks from the coastline.
The United Nations shipping agency has stated that some oil from the tanker Caroline Bezengi is reaching Oman’s mainland. Videos circulating on social media and satellite imagery have captured the spill south of Qeshm and Hengam islands. Iranian authorities have launched urgent cleanup operations along the southeastern coast in response to the contamination, according to reports from Bloomberg.
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