Oman tackles oil slick after sanctioned tanker runs aground

Oman is dealing with an oil slick covering about 390 square kilometers after the tanker Caroline Bezengi, which was carrying about 1 million barrels of Russian Urals crude, ran aground off the Hallaniyat Islands.

The vessel appears to have been stranded for about seven weeks and had previously been sanctioned by the U.K. and EU, Bloomberg reports.

The slick is spreading north and northeast, with the nearest point about 7km from the shoreline, threatening coral reefs, fish, turtles, dolphins and whales in the area.

Authorities are using aerial surveillance, satellite imagery and subsea inspections to contain the spill, secure the vessel and transfer its remaining cargo.