Oman oil spill reaches mainland beaches

Oil from a tanker stranded off Oman's coast has reached mainland beaches, Omani authorities said, as the International Maritime Organization reported that monsoon conditions were delaying salvage work.

Oman News Agency quoted the country's environment authority as saying that monitoring results on Wednesday showed some beaches in the Ras Madrakah area were affected by oil pollution. The Indian Ocean town is more than 200 kilometres from Al-Qibliyyah Island.

The agency also reported that up to 40 kilometres of coast in the Ras Madrakah area was expected to be affected. It said 10 to 20 kilometres of beaches on southern Masirah Island could be affected in the coming hours, based on current data.

The IMO said it was closely monitoring leakage from the crude oil tanker Caroline Bezengi, which grounded off Oman on June 30 and was around 22 nautical miles offshore of Sharbithat. The agency said oil was drifting offshore to the northeast of Al-Qibliyyah Island, with some oil reported to be reaching the mainland.

The IMO said the seasonal monsoon had limited access to the vessel and delayed salvage operations.

Oman said Monday it was working to contain the spill, which the Environment Authority's latest analysis said had affected roughly 390 square kilometres. The slick was concentrated around the Hallaniyat archipelago off the southern coast, where Oman established a marine reserve last year to protect sensitive ecosystems, including rare sea turtles.

Omani authorities have not identified the cause of the spill. British maritime security company Vanguard told AFP last week that explosions rocked the tanker in early June as it sailed off Yemen, allowing water to enter several sections of the vessel.

Greenpeace and PAX warned that the spill was on the verge of causing an environmental disaster and said the tanker was carrying around one million barrels of crude.