Oman works to contain an oil slick off its coast

Oman is intensifying its efforts to contain an oil spill from the grounded vessel “Caroline Bezengi” off the Al Hallaniyat Islands in the Dhofar Governorate, amid aerial, maritime, and satellite monitoring operations to track the pollution’s movement and assess its risks to the marine environment and coastlines.

The Oman Environment Authority stated on Monday that the latest monitoring and analysis revealed “the continued presence of oil pollution in the marine area associated with the incident (the tanker’s grounding), and detected an oil slick covering approximately 390 square kilometers, extending northeast from the Al Hallaniyat Islands toward the mainland coast.”

It noted that the slick “is at its closest point to the shore at a distance of approximately 7 kilometers,” adding that “its observed extent along the path reached about 449 kilometers.”

The authority emphasized the necessity of protecting biodiversity, including “coral reefs, turtle nesting areas, marine habitats, and coastal zones of ecological importance,” while noting that risk assessments are being continuously updated “in accordance with changes in the location, area, and direction of the pollution’s movement.”

Oman News Agency reported that analysis results indicated that “the thickest parts of the pollution may be heading toward the entrances of Ras Madrakah, necessitating continued intensive monitoring of marine and coastal areas of priority ecological importance.”

It quoted Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rawahi, Director General of Maritime Affairs at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, stating that current operations include monitoring by aircraft, diving, and implementing technical solutions to safely transfer the ship’s oil cargo “to mitigate the risks arising from the incident, ensure navigational safety, and protect the marine environment.”