Leaking grounded oil tanker off Oman sinks further, satellite images show
- The tanker Caroline Bezengi is grounded and leaking crude oil off the coast of Oman.
- Satellite images show the vessel is further submerged compared to previous observations.
- The oil spill has expanded to cover nearly 800 square kilometers as of August 7.
- The area affected is part of a marine protected reserve in the Arabian Sea.
- Oman's government is monitoring the situation and preparing to respond to the incident.
A sanctioned tanker carrying nearly 1 million barrels of oil appears to have become further submerged in waters off the coast of Oman where it has been grounded for several weeks, satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press show.
Crude oil has been leaking and spreading quickly in recent days from the Caroline Bezengi and has reached the shores of Qibliyah Island, off Oman’s southwest coast. As of Aug. 7, a spill of oil sheen covered nearly 800 square kilometers (309 square miles).
The affected area is part of the Arabian Sea reserve, a marine protected area and host to endangered wildlife, including petrels and the rare Arabian Sea humpback whale. The vessel is believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and has been sanctioned by the British government and the European Union for carrying cargoes of Russian oil.
Oman’s government said it was responding to the incident, but it was not immediately clear if authorities have reached the tanker or if there are efforts to salvage it or stop the leaking crude oil.
阿曼附近搁浅的漏油油轮进一步下沉，卫星图像显示
一艘被制裁的油轮载有近100万桶原油，似乎在阿曼海岸的水域中进一步下沉，该油轮已搁浅数周，卫星图像显示。
最近几天，Caroline Bezengi号油轮泄漏的原油迅速扩散，并已到达阿曼西南海岸的Qibliyah岛。截至8月7日，油污泄漏面积已覆盖近800平方公里（309平方英里）。
受影响区域是阿拉伯海的一个保护区，属于海洋保护区，栖息着濒危野生动物，包括海雀和稀有的阿拉伯海座头鲸。该船被认为是俄罗斯“影子舰队”的一部分，因运载俄罗斯石油货物而受到英国政府和欧盟的制裁。
阿曼政府表示正在应对这一事件，但尚不清楚当局是否已到达油轮，或是否有努力进行打捞或阻止原油泄漏。