Oman: Oil pollution range on Ras Madarqa beaches extends 12 kilometers

The Omani Environment Authority announced on Saturday that the stretch of beaches affected by oil pollution in the Ras Madarkah area in the southeast of the country, following the grounding of a vessel, extends approximately 12 kilometers, confirming that monitoring and response operations are ongoing.

In a statement, the authority said it “continues monitoring, follow-up, and response efforts regarding the oil pollution, as the latest field results indicate that the affected beach stretch in the Ras Madarkah area measures approximately 12 kilometers, and is being addressed on the ground, while no significant pollution impacts have been detected at other sites.”

The statement clarified that “monitoring results to date confirm that no effects from the oil pollution have reached the shores of Masirah Island, the southern part of which falls within the potentially affected zone.”

Regarding the oil slick in the sea, monitoring data and updated models indicated that it continues to move along its observed path offshore, heading southeast from the Masirah Governorate toward deeper waters, with its movement being continuously tracked in accordance with marine and meteorological conditions, according to the statement.

Earlier, on August 6, the Environment Authority and the Omani Ministry of Transport and Communications jointly announced the grounding of the vessel Caroline Bezengi off the Hallaniyat Islands in the Dhofar Governorate, before the Sultanate announced on Monday that an oil slick covering approximately 390 square kilometers had been detected in the maritime area linked to the incident.