Oman is cleaning up about 12 km of coastline at Ras Madrakah after oil escaped from grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi, according to Oman’s Environment Authority.
The authority’s 15 August assessment found the affected stretch along Ras Madrakah, while Masirah Island remained free of significant pollution.
The slick was moving southeast of Masirah towards open water. Salvage and pollution response continued on 17 August around Caroline Bezengi, which is stranded on a rocky outcrop near Al Qibliyah Island in Oman’s Al Hallaniyat archipelago.
British maritime response company Ambrey, Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) and Omani company OMAN PESCO are involved in the operation. The response includes salvage vessels, aircraft, specialist personnel and more than 100 tonnes of equipment. Specialists boarded the tanker with support from the Royal Air Force of Oman to assess conditions and begin stabilising the ship and cargo.
“We are working around the clock to mitigate the environmental impact of the situation,” Ambrey Global Response director Ed Wollaston said. Khareef monsoon conditions have complicated the operation, with winds reaching about 40 knots and waves about 4 metres. The tanker is listing by about 17 degrees, while oil and seawater on deck, the lack of reliable power and vessel damage have delayed heavy salvage and cargo-transfer work.
Teams are considering moving oil from damaged tanks into intact tanks before transferring the remaining cargo to another tanker. Hydrographic surveys are being carried out to establish safe approaches for salvage vessels.
The 2001-built Caroline Bezengi, IMO 9224439, was carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels of Russian crude when it grounded on 30 June. It had loaded at Novorossiysk and passed through the Suez Canal at the end of May. The crew first encountered difficulties off Mukalla on 8 June. The cause has not been established.
The tanker is subject to UK sanctions over carriage of Russian-origin oil. It had previously been listed under the Cameroon flag but was removed from that registry in June.
Rentoor Shipmanagement Ltd, which appears to be based in China, is the registered owner, while China-based Villar Shipmanagement Ltd is the commercial and ISM manager.
Ambrey is registered in England and Wales and is a member of the International Salvage Union. OSRL is an international oil-spill preparedness and response organisation. OMAN PESCO is an Omani environmental-response company.