Two slicks appear in Gulf as huge oil spill off Oman threatens disaster

Satellite imagery and verified video show two oil slicks in Iranian waters, one off Qeshm Island and another near Sirri Island, amid tit-for-tat attacks on tankers. A grounded tanker, the Caroline Bezengi, is leaking Russian crude off Oman, creating a slick estimated at 2,000 square km. The cause of the slicks remains unconfirmed.

Satellite imagery and video verified by Reuters show two oil slicks in Iranian waters in the Gulf, raising concerns about environmental damage amid tit-for-tat attacks on oil tankers by Iran and the United States. One slick appeared off the southern tip of Qeshm Island, while a smaller one was spotted near Sirri Island in the center of the Gulf. A potential environmental disaster is already unfolding off Oman outside the Strait of Hormuz, where a grounded tanker, the Caroline Bezengi, is leaking Russian crude oil in a protected marine area, creating a massive slick estimated at 2,000 square km. The Caroline Bezengi incident has not been linked to the war with Iran. The Qeshm Island slick likely stemmed from a leak from the Minoan Pioneer, a Liberia-flagged dry bulk ship that was hit by an unknown projectile on August 3. The cause of the slicks remains unconfirmed, and Reuters could not independently verify the substances involved. The conflict has complicated cleanup efforts, according to experts.