Massive oil spill near Strait of Hormuz raises threat of environmental disaster
Photo: an oil tanker (Getty Images)
Two massive oil slicks have appeared in Iranian waters near Qeshm and Sirri islands, raising the prospect of an environmental disaster that could also affect Oman, Reuters informs.
Oil slicks in the Persian Gulf
Satellite imagery and videos verified by Reuters show major oil spills in the Persian Gulf. The pollution is linked to attacks on oil tankers and other vessels during the conflict involving Iran and the United States, causing severe environmental damage to the region.
Off the coast of Oman, beyond the Strait of Hormuz, Russian crude oil has been leaking into a protected marine area after the tanker Caroline Bezengi ran aground. The spill has created a massive slick covering about 2,000 square kilometers.
Reuters noted that this particular incident is not believed to be directly linked to the war involving Iran.
Oil spill near Qeshm and Sirri
Another oil slick has appeared near the southern tip of Qeshm Island, the dolphin-shaped island in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran's coast. The contamination was identified in Sentinel-2 satellite images from the Copernicus program.
The images show dark liquid washing onto the beaches of Suza on Qeshm Island, standing out against the surrounding turquoise waters.
A second slick was detected near the smaller Sirri Island in the central Gulf, about 100 kilometers southwest of Qeshm. The area is home to Iran's offshore oil and gas production facilities.
Two slicks have appeared in Iranian waters, satellite imagery and video verified by Reuters show, as tit-for-tat attacks on oil tankers and other vessels by Iran and the United States spark concerns about environmental damage to the Gulf https://t.co/RzjfX2273G pic.twitter.com/hA9UnfarN7
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 14, 2026
What caused the spills
The slick near Qeshm Island was likely caused by a leak from the Liberia-flagged cargo vessel Minoan Pioneer, Reuters reported.
According to maritime security sources, the ship was struck by an unidentified projectile off the coast of Oman on August 3. The incident was believed to have been an Iranian attack while the vessel was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The same leak may also have affected Qeshm Island, one maritime security source told Reuters.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the cause of either oil slick or identify the substances involved.
The conflict in the region has complicated efforts to assess and clean up the spills in the Persian Gulf, said Brian Barnes, a satellite oceanographer at the University of South Florida.
"The longer that the oil is leaking into an environment, the more it can spread out and cause damage to ecosystems, coastlines," he said.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that a major crude oil spill from the tanker Caroline Bezengi was detected off the coast of Oman. The vessel became stranded in a difficult situation near Yemen, and local authorities said they were working to mitigate the consequences.
It was also reported that on the evening of August 13, the UAE Foreign Ministry accused Iran of carrying out another attack after state-owned oil company ADNOC said two of its vessels had come under attack in the Strait of Hormuz.
In addition, US Central Command said it had attacked the Panama-flagged vessel Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly attempted to breach the US blockade of Iran.
