Salvors work to secure Russian shadow fleet ship leaking oil off Oman, risk firm Ambrey says

The spill from the Caroline Bezengi tanker, apparently the result of an unexplained attack on the vessel in June, has spread around a nature reserve and hit Oman's coastline on Wednesday.Follow us on GoogleThe damaged and half sunk oil tanker Caroline Bezengi, at sea off the coast of Oman, on a date given as August 6, 2026.(photo credit: Ambrey/Handout via REUTERS)ByREUTERSAUGUST 13, 2026 20:19Updated: AUGUST 13, 2026 21:09Salvors with specialist vessels and other equipment are heading to waters off Oman to try to contain the environmental damage from a spill of Russian crude that has spread for weeks, the risk management firm coordinating the operation said on Thursday.The spill from the Caroline Bezengi tanker, apparently the result of an unexplained attack on the vessel in June, has spread around a nature reserve, and hit Oman's coastline on Wednesday.Risk management firm Ambrey is coordinating the salvage operation and said it had contracted a "leading international oil spill response company," without naming it.The response included salvage vessels, aircraft and specialists using 100 metric tons of equipment, it said.The Caroline Bezengi, carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels of Russian oil and under international sanctions, ran aground on June 30 near an Omani marine nature reserve that is home to wildlife including humpback whales and Socotra cormorants.A satellite image shows an oil spill off the coast of Oman, August 11, 2026. (credit: European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-3/Handout via REUTERS)An annual monsoon in the area is complicating the salvage efforts, Ambrey said.Oman's agriculture, fisheries and water resources ministry said on Thursday it was monitoring the impact of the stricken tanker on sea life and on local fish products to make sure they are safe to market.It advised fishermen to stay away from the area of the spill and report any unusual smells or noticeable changes in the water or marine life.Tanker sailed from Black Sea port of NovorossiyskThe tanker first reported difficulties off Yemen on June 8 after what maritime sources said appeared to be a blast.Corey Ranslem, CEO of maritime security group Dryad Global, said that damage visible in an image that Ambrey released of the grounded vessel showed burn marks indicating a fire or explosion aboard, but that it was not immediately possible to determine what caused it.No party has claimed an attack, but the vessel was navigating two separate wars on its journey from Russia to India.In April, it sailed from the Russian port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, a flashpoint in the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine has carried out assaults on what is known as the shadow fleet of aging vessels used to carry Russian oil.The Caroline Bezengi, which is part of the shadow fleet, passed through the Suez Canal at the end of May, ship-tracking data shows. It then sailed past Yemen, where the Iran-aligned Houthi terrorists have entered a wider regional war between the US, Israel and Iran. This photograph obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on August 13, 2026 shows an oil slick along the southern coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, August 13, 2026. (credit: ISNA / AFP via Getty Images)Iran reports separate spill, calls for compensation for trillions of dollars in environmental damagesIranian media reported a separate oil spill reached the shores of Qeshm, an island in the Strait of Hormuz.Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said primary evidence indicated a foreign bulk carrier was the source but did not specify further.Baqaei called for all countries that benefit from shipping in the strait to aid in compensating Iran for the environmental damage, which he said was in the trillions of dollars.The Head of Iran's Department of Environment, Shina Ansari, also called for compensation for the damages.Iranian media stated that cleanup efforts were ongoing.Follow us on Google