Oil Spill News

Weather conditions and operational challenges were hampering salvage efforts for a grounded tanker that was leaking Russian crude oil in a protected marine area off Oman's coast, the sultanate's state news agency reported on Monday.Oman has been coordinating the salvage operation with risk-management company Ambrey as part of efforts to contain environmental damage from a spill that some estimates put at 2,000 sq km.

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.A potential environmental disaster is already unfolding off Oman outside of the Strait of Hormuz where a grounded tanker, the Caroline Bezengi, is leaking Russian crude oil in a protected marine area and has created a massive slick some estimates put at 2…

British maritime security company Ambrey said it has been engaged in the salvage of the stricken tanker Caroline Bezengi off the Omani coast and that salvage vessels are en route to support the operation.The Caroline Bezengi tanker, carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels of Russian oil and under international sanctions, ran aground on June 30 near an Omani marine nature reserve that is home to wildlife including Arabian Sea humpback whales and Socotra cormorants.Ambrey said it was working with stakeholders in Oman and has contracted a leading international oil spill response firm."This is an ex

A vast oil spill from a leaking tanker has started to hit Oman's coastline, its environment agency confirmed on Wednesday, in what threatens to become one of the world’s worst in years after spreadinglargely unchecked for weeks.The oil could end up impacting 40 km (25 miles) of coast near Ras Madraka as well as Masirah Island, the agency said.The slick now covers an area of more than 2,000 square km, said John Amos, an oil spill specialist who reviewed satellite imagery obtained by Reuters.MARINE NATURE RESERVE THREATENEDThe Caroline Bezengi tanker…

An oil slick is covering an area of around 390 square kilometres (150 square miles) off the coast of Oman, the country's government said on Monday, after a vessel under sanctions and carrying Russian crude sustained damage.The Caroline Bezengi's crew first reported difficulties on June 8 off the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, two maritime security sources said, adding that initial assessments indicated that a blast occurred onboard.In its first public disclosure of details of the environmental impact…

A few months ago, I authored an article for Marine News focused on just one of the many successful features of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA 90,” Pub. L. No. 101-380 (1990)) — Alaska’s regional citizen advisory councils (RCACs). The Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet RCACs were established under OPA 90 to work with oil and gas industry interests on behalf of the surrounding communities to ensure safe operations and community buy-in. I was heartened by the positive responses I received from friends…

A sanctions-hit tanker is leaking oil off the coast of Oman and the spill has spread in recent days, increasing concern about possible environmental damage to coastal areas, according to an analysis of satellite imagery and shipping specialists.The Caroline Bezengi took Russian oil on board at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk before leaving for its most recent voyage, ship tracking data shows.It first reported difficulties on June 8 off the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla, two maritime security sources ⁠said…

Venezuela's government said on Friday that an oil spill originating from Trinidad and Tobago is putting fishing as well as the environment at risk."This event exceeds in magnitude the one that occurred in May and confirms the drift of pollutants toward Venezuelan waters," the government said in a statement without providing further details on the extent of the spill, which it said was confirmed by satellite imagery.Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil asked Trinidad and Tobago…

A suspected oil spill covering dozens of square kilometres of sea near Iran's main oil hub of Kharg Island has been seen on satellite imagery this week.The likely spill - appearing on images as a grey and white slick - covered waters to the west of the 8-kilometre (5-mile) long island, pictures from Copernicus’s Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 satellites showed on May 6-8.“The slick appears visually consistent with oil,” said Leon Moreland, researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory…

Shipping traffic around Belgium's Port of Antwerp has been partially halted because of an oil spill that has spread from one of the port's docks into the river Scheldt.Antwerp harbour typically handles 60 to 80 ships daily. A port spokesperson could not immediately say how long traffic will remain halted or how many ships would be affected."An oil spill occurred during a bunkering operation in the Deurganckdock.

A Unified Command, consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office (LOSCO) and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), continues its recovery and cleanup efforts after a crude oil discharge reported near the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port on February 26, 2026.The Unified Command was officially established on February 27, 2026, to manage the spill's environmental impact. Multiple contractors have been engaged to assist in the cleanup effort.As of March 7…

Miros and Marine Technologies (MT) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on integrating advanced marine sensing technologies with MT’s vessel control and smart-ship systems, the companies said on Wednesday.The agreement, which involves no financial commitments, outlines the companies’ intent to combine Miros’ real-time ocean sensing, wave and current monitoring, and oil spill detection technologies with MT’s footprint in offshore vessel control and dynamic…

Brazilian federal prosecutors in Para state have filed a lawsuit to demand the removal of the hull and oily residues from the Haidar ship, which sank 10 years ago near Vila do Conde port, Brazil's biggest for live cattle shipments.In a statement on Wednesday, Para federal prosecutors recalled the Haidar wreck caused the death of 5,000 cattle and a spill of 700,000 liters of oily residues.A subsequent spill from the Haidar wreck was reported in 2018, prosecutors said, showing that remaining residues inside the hull represent "a constant threat."Some 215,000 liters of oil, diesel, fuel, and lubr

The Coast Guard along with the Texas General Land Office is responding to an oil discharge which occurred near Galveston, Texas, Tuesday.Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a call at approximately 9:50 p.m. reporting a discharge of fuel oil spilled by a vessel near Pier 32 at the Port of Galveston following an allision with the pier. The source of the spill is secured.The spill amount is currently under investigation.The Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office and the responsible party…

A new study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin shows that oil is still seeping from the wreck of the USS Arizona, more than 80 years after its sinking at Pearl Harbor. The study focuses on samples collected by the National Park Service in 2016 and 2018.Researchers, led by the University of Houston and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), analyzed oil samples collected from multiple leak points on the sunken battleship, using advanced molecular fingerprinting techniques. The results confirm the oil is a heavy fuel oil refined from California crude, consistent with U.S.

A tugboat that sank at the Bremerton Marina in Seattle continues to leak oil.The Dominion, a 130-foot tugboat, which sank around 4 p.m., Wednesday, was reported to contain an unknown amount of diesel fuel and about 200 gallons of lube oil when it sank.Containment boom and absorbent pads were quickly placed around the vessel. Supplemental boom was deployed to collect the pollution as tides shifted. Vacuum trucks and skimmers were also deployed to collect recoverable product.Additionally…

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a diesel spill from a grounded fishing vessel in Izhut Bay near Kodiak.The fishing vessel Sea Ern ran aground Monday with three crewmembers aboard.Approximately 3,500 gallons of diesel has been released from the vessel into the water.Exclusion boom has been deployed in an effort to control the spread of the diesel.Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic received a distress call on VHF channel 16 on Monday at approximately 6:30 a.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Safety Alert following a recent oil spill on the Delaware River.The Alert says the incident starkly underscored the critical need for effective communication when completing the required Declaration of Inspection (DOI) prior to an oil transfer in accordance with Title 33, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), §156.120 (33 CFR 156.120).Prior to the incident, the facility person in charge (PIC) filled out their section of the DOI and sent the checklist…

“You cannot be a leader if you don’t know what is going on,” says Rik van Hemmen, President of marine consulting firm Martin & Ottaway.van Hemmen, writing in the June issue of Maritime Reporter magazine, recounts of some of his experiences in oil spill response to demonstrate that it’s a truth that is not always recognized.On one salvage operation, a high-ranking government official was laughed out of the room after loudly proclaiming: “I am in charge now, and nothing happens until I say so.” The next thing he said was: “So what are you going to do?” The response?

Authorities in the southern Indian state of Kerala are racing to contain an oil spill in the Arabian Sea after the Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC ELSA3 sank over the weekend, releasing fuel and more than 100 cargo containers into the water.The vessel was en route from Vizhinjam to Kochi when it capsized approximately 38 nautical miles off the Kerala coast on Saturday. All 24 crew members were safely rescued, according to local officials. The cause of the incident has not yet been disclosed.The Kerala chief minister’s office confirmed Sunday that the entire ship is now submerged.

The US Coast Guard Sector San Juan’s Incident Management team is responding to an oil discharge from a legacy pipe structure between piers 2 and 3 in San Juan Habor, Puerto Rico. “The source of the oil discharge is being contained and, while contained, will allow normal port operations to continue at Piers 2 and 3 as our investigation and response efforts continue,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ray Lopez, Coast Guard Sector San Juan Incident Management Division chief.Coast Guard watchstanders…

Responders have recovered approximately 32,718 gallons of oily water mixture after a spill that occurred on April 26 in a marsh environment near the Garden Island Bay Production Facility company's well in Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana.Pollution response efforts have now been federally assumed from the Responsible Party, Spectrum OpCo, to mitigate the discharge of oil. The Federal on Scene Coordinator accessed the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and contracted Environmental Safety & Health Consulting Services Inc.

Guyana's government has submitted an oil pollution bill to the Parliament proposing to make responsible parties liable for damages caused by oil spills, including from vessels, according to a copy of the act published in the Official Gazette.The South American country, whose oil production is controlled by an Exxon Mobil-led consortium is expected to surpass 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year, is trying to reinforce oversight of its nascent energy industry, where all crude and gas output comes from offshore fields.Responsible parties shall provide financial assurance to cover spills…