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No insurer funds cleanup of sanctioned tanker spill off Oman
Authorities say the slick has expanded to about 390 square kilometers as the vessel has sat grounded for more than two months without a confirmed party willing to pay for removal.
A rusting Suezmax tanker has remained wedged against rocks off Oman's Hallaniyat Islands, emptying nearly a million barrels of Russian crude into a marine reserve that is home to humpback whales and rare seabirds, according to reporting by Insurance Business. Omani authorities confirmed that the spill has grown to roughly 390 square kilometers, an area larger than Malta, after satellite trackers had flagged the slick for weeks.
The vessel, known as the Caroline Bezengi, has been grounded since it was last reported, after its crew sent a distress call about a suspected explosion off Yemen on June 8. Weeks later, Omani directives to remove the wreck have not been answered by the ship's registered owner, Rentoor Shipmanagement, a China-based firm, and no insurer or shipping body has claimed responsibility for cleanup.
Insurance Business reports that the ship is linked to Russia's so-called shadow fleet, which transports sanctioned crude using structures that obscure ownership. The Caroline Bezengi loaded Russian crude in April at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, transited the Suez Canal in late May, and was sailing off Yemen when it ran aground off Oman's Dhofar coast.
The insurer angle centers on the apparent lack of coverage backing the vessel, Maritime Executive analysts said it is common for tankers in Russia's dark fleet to carry little or no real insurance or to circulate certificates that satisfy port requirements without providing actual financial support. The ship has since been delisted by Cameroon's registry and sanctioned by multiple governments including the EU, the UK, Canada, Ukraine, and Switzerland over its role in Russian oil exports, Insurance Business added.
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