Oil has spilled from the tanker Caroline Bezengi after it became stranded near Al-Kibliyah Island, about 50 kilometres off southern Oman’s coast, raising concerns over long-term environmental damage in the Gulf. The vessel, carrying more than 800,000 barrels of oil, was hit by an explosion near Yemen’s coast on June 8 before grounding in late June. Oil has begun reaching beaches along Oman’s mainland “Turtle Coast.”

Al-Kibliyah is part of Oman’s Halaniyat Islands nature reserve, home to wildlife including Socotra cormorants and humpback whales. Oman’s National Committee for Emergency Management said it was monitoring the incident and its effects. The government estimated that the oil spill covered about 400 square kilometres. The article also cited research estimating that the first 14 days of the Iran war produced more than 5 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide-equivalent emissions.

UK-based maritime risk management firm Ambrey has been hired to salvage the tanker and address the spill. It said an international operation involving rescue vessels, aircraft, specialists and more than 100 tonnes of equipment was under way. With support from the Royal Air Force of Oman, experts have boarded the tanker to assess conditions and stabilize the vessel and cargo. Ambrey said khareef-season weather was complicating operations.