Satellite images reviewed by AP showed an expanding sheen around Qibliyah Island near a grounded, sanctioned tanker. The Caroline Bezengi has been stranded off Oman's Dhofar coast since June near a marine reserve, and rough monsoon seas raise concern about the hull.
Satellite images reviewed by AP showed an oil sheen covering about 20 square kilometers around Qibliyah Island. Dark crude deposits were visible on parts of the shoreline in the imagery. An environmental analyst said the sheen had grown over several days as oil escaped in relatively small quantities.
The Cameroon-flagged Caroline Bezengi is sanctioned by the United Kingdom, European Union, Canada and Switzerland. An analyst estimated that the tanker carried more than 800,000 barrels of crude. Oman had ordered the vessel's owners to remove the ship and cargo by July 23, but the public record did not establish compliance.
The Hallaniyat Islands are part of a marine protected area with sensitive bird and mammal habitat. The May-to-September monsoon brings rough seas and strong winds to the Dhofar coast. Satellite interpretation can document surface conditions while leaving underwater damage and total volume uncertain.
The checked record also defines what is not yet established. AP could not independently confirm earlier reports of an onboard explosion, the precise leak rate was unknown, and the vessel owner's response was unclear. This distinction prevents an announcement, allegation, estimate or early field report from being presented as a completed or independently proven event.
At the August 2 publication cutoff, the next evidence expected to update this account is Omani containment or salvage operations and new imagery showing whether the hull or spill area changes. Those future developments are not assumed here; they will require a responsible source, a dated public record or independently verifiable reporting.
The source pages retained below support the numerical values, sequence and attributed statements in this report. Statements from interested parties establish what those parties said or did, but they do not independently prove every claim embedded in those statements. No image is included because a rights-cleared visual was not necessary to report the facts.
This edition preserves the difference between the immediate event and its operating context. The Hallaniyat Islands are part of a marine protected area with sensitive bird and mammal habitat. The May-to-September monsoon brings rough seas and strong winds to the Dhofar coast. Satellite interpretation can document surface conditions while leaving underwater damage and total volume uncertain. The article will remain fixed at this cutoff even if a later investigation, corrected total, weather observation or implementation record changes the public understanding.