en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 10, Oman's Environment Authority confirmed that crude oil leaking from the grounded tanker "Caroline Bezenji" has formed an oil slick covering approximately 390 square kilometers. The slick is located offshore near a nature reserve off the Omani coast and has extended to about 7 kilometers from the shore. Omani authorities are carrying out pollution response operations.
The tanker first reported a malfunction off the coast of Yemen on June 8 and subsequently ran aground in Omani waters. On July 2, preliminary inspection results released by Oman's Environment Authority had not yet detected oil pollution in the surrounding sea area; since then, satellite imagery has shown the oil slick continuously spreading outward from near the vessel's hull, and the Omani government released the extent of the spill's impact for the first time on August 10.
The "Caroline Bezenji" is 274 meters long, was built in 2001, and was carrying nearly 1 million barrels of Russian crude oil at the time of the incident, destined for Asia. Ship tracking data shows that the vessel loaded crude oil in Russia in April and passed through the Suez Canal in late May. Two maritime security sources said that when the crew initially reported the malfunction, preliminary assessments indicated a possible explosion on board, but the cause of the incident has not yet been determined.
The spill area is adjacent to the Khuriya Muriya Islands Nature Reserve, which is home to marine life such as the Arabian Sea humpback whale and the Socotra cormorant. Oman's Environment Authority stated that the current spill has not yet posed a threat to nearby seawater desalination facilities or tourist facilities.
In February 2026, the United Kingdom added the "Caroline Bezenji" to its Russia sanctions list, determining that the vessel was involved in transporting Russian crude oil or petroleum products to third countries. The vessel was previously registered under the flag of Cameroon but was delisted by the Cameroonian ship registry in June.
