Salvage efforts for the grounded oil tanker Caroline Bezengi off the coast of Oman are facing delays due to adverse weather and technical difficulties, the sultanate’s state news agency reported Monday. The vessel, which is carrying Russian crude oil, has been leaking into a protected marine area following an unexplained attack in June. Omani authorities are coordinating with the risk-management firm Ambrey to manage the salvage and containment operations.
The Caroline Bezengi ran aground on June 30 near a marine nature reserve that serves as a habitat for humpback whales and Socotra cormorants. The vessel originally loaded its cargo at Russia’s Novorossiysk port in April and traveled through the Suez Canal in late May. Ship-tracking data identifies the 2001-built ship as part of a "shadow fleet" of older tankers that lack Western insurance and operate under various flags to obscure ownership.
Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Rawahi, director general of maritime affairs at Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, stated that monsoon conditions and the shallow, rocky terrain of the grounding site have created "operational and navigational risks" for salvage equipment. Additionally, al-Rawahi noted that one side of the tanker is heavily flooded, further complicating the stabilization and recovery process.
The incident involves approximately 800,000 barrels of Russian oil, which is currently subject to international sanctions from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ukraine, and Switzerland. Because the vessel is part of a "shadow fleet" lacking Western insurance, the financial responsibility for the cleanup and the legal mechanisms for recovery may be less clear than with standard commercial vessels. A spill of this scale typically requires extensive resources for coastal remediation and can impact local fishing or maritime activities if the oil continues to spread toward the mainland.
The ongoing monsoon weather and the physical damage to the ship—specifically the flooding on one side—suggest that the recovery of the remaining cargo and the stabilization of the hull may take significant time. Omani officials have not yet provided an updated official estimate of the spill's total area since the August 10 report. Future steps depend on the stabilization of weather conditions to allow salvage vessels to safely approach the shallow, rocky site without risking further damage or additional spills.