An oil spill from a U.K.-sanctioned tanker grounded for weeks off the coast of Oman has expanded dramatically, reaching shorelines and spreading far out to sea, according to experts and satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press. Greenpeace Germany reported that satellite imagery from Sunday indicates the spill now covers an estimated 150 square kilometers (58 square miles).
Compared to images from the previous week, when the spill's surface area was estimated at 20 square kilometers (8 miles), the increase is substantial. The spill is affecting large stretches of Qibliyah Island, located in Dhofar, Oman's largest governorate. The images showed an oil sheen spreading to the northeast from the 274-meter (899-foot) Suezmax tanker Caroline Bezengi. The tanker has been sanctioned by the U.K. for carrying oil originating from Russia.
The affected area is part of the Arabian Sea reserve, a marine protected area known to host wildlife including endangered petrels and the rare Arabian Sea humpback whale. Wim Zwijnenburg, an environmental expert for PAX, a Dutch organization, stated that while the sheen is a thin layer that can evaporate, thick patches of oil have reached the southern and western shores of Qibliyah Island. Zwijnenburg estimated the oil sheen to be roughly 90 kilometers long (56 miles), nearly double its length from the previous week.
The tanker has been grounded since June, with initial reports from shipping and maritime news outlets indicating the crew reported an explosion on board at the time, though The Associated Press was not able to independently confirm these reports. The tanker was reportedly carrying over 800,000 barrels of crude oil.
The U.K. government's decision to sanction the vessel cited its involvement in activity that "has been or is likely to be involved in activity whose object or effect is to destabilize Ukraine" or to support the Russian government. The Cameroon-flagged tanker is also under sanctions from the European Union, Canada, and Switzerland. SynMax Maritime, a geospatial data tracking company, previously shared images from May showing the tanker at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in Russia before its most recent voyage.
"This dramatic expansion (of the oil spill) underscores the serious and continuing environmental threat posed by the stranded tanker — and exemplifies the dangers associated with the practices of Russia’s shadow fleet," Greenpeace Germany said in its statement. It remains unclear where the ship was headed when it grounded off Oman. Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology had ordered the ship's owners to remove it and its cargo by July 23, according to the Omani Muscat Daily. The owners' response was not yet known.