Iran War | Greenpeace: Five major oil spills in the Strait of Hormuz

Several oil slicks are suspected in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening the coasts of Iran and Oman. Photo: dpa/AP/ISNARazieh Poudat Berlin.  According to the environmental organization Greenpeace, current satellite images now show five large oil slicks in the Strait of Hormuz. The pollution reached the Iranian coast near protected areas around the island of Gheshm, among other places, it said in a statement. There are, among other things, large mangrove forests on the island.

One of the oil slicks was also visible on the Omani south side of the Strait of Hormuz, it said. The rugged coastline there is considered an important bird resting area.

Further oil slicks in the region could come from the tanker “Riesco”. “This could indicate that the ship has sunk and oil is continuing to leak,” writes Greenpeace, referring to one possible scenario. The US military said it attacked the “Riesco” and other tankers that are associated with Iran. Iran had also attacked ships in the region several times. Linking the pollution to specific ship attacks in the region is often difficult due to limited transponder data.

According to Greenpeace, another oil slick is spreading on the southern coast of Oman. The tanker "Caroline Bezengi" ran aground there, which is part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet and is subject to EU sanctions. 

"On September 11th, the visible area was estimated at around 400 square kilometers, on September 12th at around 600 square kilometers," the environmentalists wrote, citing a preliminary estimate. The cause of the increase in size is still unclear; further damage to the ship as well as changed weather and sea conditions are possible.  dpa/nd

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