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A second suspected oil slick has been detected near Iran’s Kharg Island export hub, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward AI, heightening fears of an environmental disaster as a larger spill identified May 8 continues drifting toward Saudi Arabian waters.
The suspected new slick comes as U.N. officials warned Sunday that oil spills in the region could trigger an environmental catastrophe amid the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis.
“Another possible oil spill was detected today at 11 a.m. local time,” Windward told Digital. The approximate visible area, according to the firm, was between 12 to 20 square kilometers.
Tehran has pointed to foreign vessels, but maritime experts say the main slick — estimated at tens of thousands of barrels and covering about 65 square kilometers, according to the U.N. University Institute for Water, Environment and Health — is more likely linked to aging infrastructure, pipeline ruptures or a “war mode” environment that has threatened the waterway since February.
IRAN THREATENS MASS ‘WATER WAR’ WITH STRIKES ON KEY PLANTS IN DAYS, UN OFFICIAL WARNS
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. (Reuters)
“We should worry about the cause of the slick and monitor things carefully to see if there are new developments,” U.N. official Dr. Kaveh Madani told Digital.
“If this slick gets bigger, we should be seriously worried about there being a leakage of aging infrastructure,” Madani said, adding the slick was “moving away toward the southwest of the island.”
“We just have to see how it moves and if it gets closer to the centers of population. If it does, desalination operations also must be halted. The risk is low right now,” he said.
Madani also noted the slick is near a zone with a heavy concentration of pipelines and energy infrastructure.
“Keeping these infrastructure systems healthy and operational has been very hard for the Iranians even in peacetime due to sanctions,” he said, warning that amid conflict, a “major accident is very likely.”
Water circulation in the Persian Gulf is slow, meaning pollution can persist for extended periods, he added.
“We saw similar instances during the Gulf wars and the Iran-Iraq War, with these things impacting coastal communities, the fishing industry, marine life and even the intake of desalination plants,” he said.
BEFORE-AND-AFTER SATELLITE IMAGERY OFFERS A RARE LOOK AT DAMAGE INSIDE IRAN
Satellite view shows Kharg Island located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran. (Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2024)
The larger spill, visible in satellite images as a gray-and-white slick, was first detected west of Kharg Island, Windward AI reported May 8, and has been steadily moving.
“It is believed to be crude rather than bunker fuel and unlikely to have come from a ship, possibly originating from pipeline issues or a failed ship-to-ship transfer,” the firm said.
The spill could pass through Qatar’s exclusive economic zone within about four days, with possible landfall near Al Mirfa in the United Arab Emirates in roughly 13 days, according to Windward.
The incident comes as Washington ramps up “Economic Fury,” tightening sanctions and increasing its naval presence near the Strait of Hormuz to curb Iran’s oil exports.
Since Iran closed the strait in late February following the outbreak of hostilities, tankers have bottlenecked across the region as the vital oil chokepoint remains largely shut.
“We also know that there are many tankers in the area, so there is a chance of an accidental spill,” Madani said.
US EYES SEIZING IRAN’S OIL LIFELINE — BUT IT MAY NOT CRIPPLE TEHRAN
A second suspected oil slick near Iran’s Kharg Island is raising environmental fears as a larger spill drifts toward Gulf waters and officials warn aging infrastructure, conflict and tanker congestion could worsen the threat. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)
“As long as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is there and the region is in a war mode, the environment would not be a priority, but monitoring the behavior of tankers would not be trivial,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jafar Pourkabgani, a lawmaker representing Bushehr province, claimed the slick was caused by “oil residue and ballast water waste from European tankers” discharged into the sea.
“This claim is false and part of the enemy’s psychological operation,” he wrote on X, referring to allegations Iran released oil due to full storage tanks.
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Iran’s Oil Terminals Company also denied reports of a leak near Kharg Island, according to Reuters.
The company’s chief executive said Sunday that inspections found no evidence of leaks from storage tanks, pipelines, loading facilities or nearby tankers.
