Oil from sanctioned tanker spreads across 20 sq km near Oman marine reserve

For climate and energy observers, the unfolding spill is a climate emergency wrapped in geopolitical overtones. A relic of the shadow fleet, the Caroline Bezengi is bleeding crude during the monsoon season right next to a marine reserve—an intersection of fossil fuel dependence, weak sanctions enforcement, and extreme weather that demonstrates the escalating environmental cost of global oil trade.

Satellite imagery reviewed by The Associated Press has revealed a growing oil leak from the Caroline Bezengi, a sanctioned Suezmax tanker grounded since June off Qibliyah Island in Oman’s Hallaniyat Islands, a marine protected area. The latest images, taken on July 31, show an oil sheen covering roughly 20 square kilometers (8 square miles) and dark crude slicks reaching the island’s shores. Environmental expert Wim Zwijnenburg of the Dutch peace organization PAX noted that the sheen has been growing gradually over the past week, indicating an increase in oil escaping from the vessel’s hull. The tanker is estimated to be carrying more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil, and experts fear that the ongoing monsoon season, with rough seas and strong winds, could break the ship and release its entire cargo—a spill that would be roughly three times larger than the Exxon Valdez disaster.

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Satellite imagery reviewed by The Associated Press has revealed a growing oil leak from the Caroline Bezengi, a sanctioned Suezmax tanker grounded since June off Qibliyah Island in Oman’s Hallaniyat Islands, a marine protected area.

The Caroline Bezengi is a Cameroon-flagged, 274-meter Suezmax tanker that was sanctioned by the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, and Switzerland for transporting oil originating in Russia and allegedly involved in activities destabilizing Ukraine. The vessel has been stuck off Dhofar since June, when the crew reportedly alerted authorities to an explosion on board. The AP could not independently verify those reports, but the grounding and subsequent leak underscore the opaque and high-risk nature of the so-called shadow fleet: aging, often poorly maintained vessels used to circumvent international sanctions. Because the ship is under sanctions, salvage operations become legally and financially fraught. No clear responsible party is likely to step forward, raising the specter of a prolonged, uncontrolled spill.

The environmental stakes are exceptionally high. The Hallaniyat Islands are a designated marine protected area, and the oil is already washing onto shorelines. The monsoon season (May–September) brings swells and gales that could accelerate the breakup of the hull. Zwijnenburg warned, “The main risk is the breaking of the ship” as the monsoon “might take its toll on the hull.” Even a moderate release of the heavy crude could devastate local fisheries, coral reefs, and bird populations in a region that depends on marine biodiversity. More broadly, the incident illustrates the mounting environmental and geopolitical risks of the shadow tanker trade. Since the G7 price cap and EU embargo on Russian oil, hundreds of such vessels have entered service, often with uncertain insurance, opaque ownership, and minimal safety records. This leak is one of the first visible consequences, and it provides a glimpse into potential future disasters as sanctions enforcement struggles to keep pace with evasion tactics.