Sanctioned Tanker’s Oil Spill Reaches Oman Coastline, Satellite Images Confirm

Crude oil from the grounded Russian tanker Caroline Bezengi reached the shores of Qibliyah Island off Oman's Dhofar coast by July 31, 2026, according to satellite imagery published by Planet Labs.

The ship has sat on rocks near the Hallaniyat Islands since early July, carrying an estimated 800,000 to one million barrels of Russian crude. On July 31, Wim Zwijnenburg of the Dutch peace research organization PAX analyzed Planet Labs images and confirmed that at least one of the ship's hulls had been breached. He noted that 'the size of the sheen is growing' in the days before the images were taken.

The oil slick extended across about 20 square kilometers. Crude was visible on the shore of Qibliyah Island, part of a protected marine reserve home to humpback whales, sea turtles, the endangered Jouanin's petrel, and rare coral.

The ship's owner, Rentoor Shipmanagement of Shanghai, had been given 24 hours by Oman's Ministry of Transport on July 23 to begin removing the vessel. No compliance was reported.

The ship first ran into trouble on June 8, 2026, when its crew sent a distress call after an explosion left it without power off Yemen's Mukalla coast. AIS tracking cut out on June 11. The ship drifted for weeks before grounding on the Hallaniyat rocks. Oil was first visible around it in satellite imagery from July 2.

Oman has not confirmed whether a containment or cleanup operation is underway.