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A sanctioned tanker linked to Russia’s shadow fleet is suspected of causing an oil spill inside a protected marine area off the coast of Oman, Reuters reported, citing satellite imagery and independent environmental experts, UATV English reports.
According to vessel-tracking data, the tanker Caroline Bezengi loaded Russian crude oil at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk before departing on its latest voyage.
The vessel last transmitted its position through the Automatic Identification System (AIS) on June 11 while sailing off the coast of Yemen. Shipping databases identify its owner as Shanghai-based Rentoor Shipmanagement.
Satellite images captured between July 2 and July 13 by the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites show what appears to be an oil slick contaminating waters in a bay southwest of Al-Qibliyah Island off Oman’s coast.
Three independent experts who reviewed the imagery for Reuters—John Amos of SkyTruth, Leon Moreland of the Conflict and Environment Observatory, and Louis Goddard of Data Desk—said the satellite images are consistent with an oil spill.
The cause of the leak has not been determined.
Reuters noted that Russia relies on an aging fleet of often poorly maintained tankers to transport crude oil outside Western sanctions, allowing Moscow to continue exporting oil despite international restrictions.
Two maritime security sources told Reuters that the Caroline Bezengi had already experienced operational difficulties near Yemen’s southern port of Mukalla on June 8, days before it stopped broadcasting its AIS signal.
The European Union and the United Kingdom have both imposed sanctions on the tanker over its role in transporting Russian oil.
The incident is likely to renew concerns over the environmental risks posed by Russia’s shadow fleet, which has come under increasing scrutiny from Western governments seeking to curb Moscow’s sanctions evasion while highlighting the dangers posed by aging vessels operating with limited oversight.
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