Oman News

Weather conditions and operational challenges were hampering salvage efforts for a grounded tanker that was leaking Russian crude oil in a protected marine area off Oman's coast, the sultanate's state news agency reported on Monday.Oman has been coordinating the salvage operation with risk-management company Ambrey as part of efforts to contain environmental damage from a spill that some estimates put at 2,000 sq km.

Two slicks have appeared in Iranian waters, satellite imagery and video verified by Reuters show, as tit-for-tat attacks on oil tankers and other vessels by Iran and the United States spark concerns about environmental damage to the Gulf.A potential environmental disaster is already unfolding off Oman outside of the Strait of Hormuz where a grounded tanker, the Caroline Bezengi, is leaking Russian crude oil in a protected marine area and has created a massive slick some estimates put at 2…

British maritime security company Ambrey said it has been engaged in the salvage of the stricken tanker Caroline Bezengi off the Omani coast and that salvage vessels are en route to support the operation.The Caroline Bezengi tanker, carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels of Russian oil and under international sanctions, ran aground on June 30 near an Omani marine nature reserve that is home to wildlife including Arabian Sea humpback whales and Socotra cormorants.Ambrey said it was working with stakeholders in Oman and has contracted a leading international oil spill response firm."This is an ex

A vast oil spill from a leaking tanker has started to hit Oman's coastline, its environment agency confirmed on Wednesday, in what threatens to become one of the world’s worst in years after spreadinglargely unchecked for weeks.The oil could end up impacting 40 km (25 miles) of coast near Ras Madraka as well as Masirah Island, the agency said.The slick now covers an area of more than 2,000 square km, said John Amos, an oil spill specialist who reviewed satellite imagery obtained by Reuters.MARINE NATURE RESERVE THREATENEDThe Caroline Bezengi tanker…

Iran and Oman have reached an understanding on the geographic coordinates for a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, and a joint announcement is being finalised, provided certain third parties did not interfere, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Wednesday.Baghaei added that any such agreement between Iran and Oman would not, by itself, guarantee security in the strategic waterway.The proposed deal between Iran and Oman would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz…

A sanctions-hit tanker is leaking oil off the coast of Oman and the spill has spread in recent days, increasing concern about possible environmental damage to coastal areas, according to an analysis of satellite imagery and shipping specialists.The Caroline Bezengi took Russian oil on board at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk before leaving for its most recent voyage, ship tracking data shows.It first reported difficulties on June 8 off the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, two maritime security sources ⁠said…

Oman and Iran agreed on Tuesday to press on with discussions about the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, including maritime services in the strategic waterway and the costs associated with them.In a joint statement issued after talks in Muscat, the two countries said a joint working group involving their foreign ministries would be formed to continue the discussions and that they would consult other littoral states and relevant parties.The move appears…

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Tuesday that a tanker had reported an external explosion on the vessel's port side, close to the waterline, 60 nautical miles off Oman's capital Muscat.UKMTO said the vessel, identified as the Olympic Life, and its crew were safe, although the tanker reported some bunker fuel had been discharged into the sea.