Caroline Bezengi Oil Hits Oman’s Beaches as UK Firm Begins Salvage

Oil from the Caroline Bezengi hit Oman's mainland on 12 August 2026. Beaches at Ras Madrakah showed crude contamination. The slick had reached up to 40 kilometres of shoreline, Oman's Environment Authority confirmed. It was the first time the spill had come ashore since the ship grounded in June, and it triggered an immediate international salvage response.

Ambrey moved fast. The British firm confirmed Thursday it had been engaged to salvage the ship, with personnel boarding the Caroline Bezengi alongside the Omani air force. Response teams, aircraft, and specialists with 100 tonnes of equipment were still en route as of the announcement.

The oil slick covers more than 2,000 square kilometres. Experts warn it could rank among the worst spills in years.

The Caroline Bezengi has been stranded near the Al Hallaniyat Islands, a protected marine nature reserve in Oman's Dhofar Governorate, since a reported explosion disabled the ship in late June 2026. The ship was carrying approximately 800,000 barrels of Russian crude.

The ship is sanctioned by the European Union, the United Kingdom, and several other governments for carrying Russian oil. Those sanctions restricted access to Western insurance and specialist salvage support from the outset. The Khareef monsoon season has added rough seas and poor visibility, with Ambrey's global response director calling conditions extremely challenging.