By Menna AlaaElDin, Jonathan Saul and Kate Abnett
Political Context
“You could find oil still there years later. And that’s what happened with Exxon Valdez. Aug 10 – Leaking crude oil from a tanker grounded off a nature reserve in Oman has created a slick covering almost 400 square kilometres, the country’s government said on Monday. The oil slick covers some 390 square km , Oman’s Environment Authority said in a statement carried by the state news agency, adding there was no concern for facilities in the area including water desalination plants and tourist facilities. Ten years down the line, there still were remnants of oil,” he said, referring to a 1989 spill in Alaska.
It extends northeast of the islands and is within an estimated seven kilometres of the coast, the authority said. A spill of this scale requires dispersant be sprayed across the affected area by aircraft and the use of booms and other equipment to collect the oil before it reaches the shore or sinks to the sea floor, said Tony Gutierrez, professor of environmental microbiology and biotechnology at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University. “If this oil is kept offshore, the impact will be much less than if the oil reaches shallower waters and the actual coastline,” he said, citing the impact on diverse marine life such as coral, birds and fish. John Amos, CEO of SkyTruth, a nonprofit organization aiming to strengthen environmental conservation through the use of satellite images, said although the incident had been ongoing for more than two months, there had not been any sign of vessel activity at the site to suggest a response to stabilize the Caroline Bezengi and remove the remaining oil cargo to prevent a catastrophic spill.
Oman, in its first public disclosure on the environmental impact, said on Monday it was seeking to tackle the oil leak near the Hallaniyat Islands.
