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🇮🇱 Israel /Disasters & Emergencies

Two slicks appear in Gulf as huge oil spill off Oman threatens disaster

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Two oil slicks have appeared in Iranian waters amid escalating tensions and attacks on vessels in the Gulf.
  • A separate, massive oil spill off Oman, estimated at 2,000 square km, threatens a protected marine area.
  • Satellite imagery and verified video show the slicks, with one potentially linked to a recent attack on a dry bulk ship.

Two oil slicks have emerged in Iranian waters, raising concerns about environmental damage in the Persian Gulf as tit-for-tat attacks on shipping continue between Iran and the United States. Satellite imagery and verified video confirm the presence of the slicks, adding to fears of escalating conflict and its consequences.

This is the biggest one that I've seen in recent months, really since the conflict between Iran and the U.S. began.

— John AmosCEO of SkyTruth, commenting on the scale of the oil spill off Oman.

Separately, a potential environmental disaster is unfolding off the coast of Oman, where the grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi is leaking Russian crude oil. This spill has created a massive slick, with some estimates reaching 2,000 square kilometers, threatening a protected marine area. The Caroline Bezengi incident is not directly linked to the ongoing conflict between Iran and the U.S.

One of the new slicks is located near the southern tip of Qeshm Island, a strategic location in the Strait of Hormuz. Satellite images show a dark, heavy fuel oil slick, with a lighter, diluted portion extending approximately 160 kilometers. Researchers suggest this slick may have originated from the Minoan Pioneer, a Liberia-flagged dry bulk ship that was reportedly hit by an unknown projectile near Oman's coast on August 3.

This is the biggest one that I've seen in recent months, really since the conflict between Iran and the U.S. began.

— John AmosCEO of SkyTruth, commenting on the scale of the oil spill off Oman.

A second slick has been observed near Sirri Island in the central Gulf, an area known for Iranian offshore oil and gas production. While Reuters could not independently confirm the cause or substances involved in either slick, a source involved in the salvage operation for the Minoan Pioneer indicated a leak from the vessel. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson suggested preliminary evidence points to a foreign bulk carrier as the source of pollution reaching Qeshm Island.

oil pollution from the Gulf had reached Qeshm Island and that preliminary evidence "indicates a foreign bulk carrier as the source".

— Esmaeil BaqaeiSpokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commenting on pollution reaching Qeshm Island.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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