Oil Spill from Tanker Ship Reaches Ras Madrakah Oman Region

Ras Madrakah/DOK Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit

JAKARTA - Amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Oman faces a new threat related to oil. The country's Environmental Authority warned that oil spills from tankers - which are sanctioned for transporting Russian crude oil - have now reached a number of beaches in Ras Madrakah, the country's southeast region.

Oman deployed a special team to monitor the oil spill and try to limit its spread and potential impact.

However, this effort is being carried out amid the threat of war and a naval blockade that is only a few hundred miles away in the Strait of Hormuz.

The agency said that the coastline of about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) around Ras Madrakah was affected by the spill, and it is estimated that the spill will reach the southern coast of Masirah Island in the next few hours.

The island has a rich coastal ecosystem and is a nesting site for several species of sea turtles. Environmental agencies have warned that this spill could turn into a disaster if its spread continues to expand.

According to Reuters, the tanker Caroline Bezengi was carrying around 800,000 barrels of Russian oil when it ran aground on June 30. The ship has been sanctioned by a number of countries as part of a crackdown on the "shadow fleet" of tankers that Russia uses to evade sanctions as well as transport and sell oil around the world.