The rescue operation of the oil tanker Caroline Bezengi (IMO 9224439), which is stranded off the coast of Oman, appears to have achieved successes in its initial stages. According to analyses conducted on satellite images, the oil spill that was observed from this tanker last week has been completely stopped.
Details of the oil spill and the status of the tanker
The oil tanker Caroline Bezengi, operating under the flag of Cameroon, collided with rocks on June 8 off the coast of Yemen due to a possible mine attack. This tanker is under sanctions from the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States (OFAC) and has a history related to the Russian state shipping company, Sovcomflot. Following this incident, the permanent representative of Russia to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London stated that speculation about categorizing Caroline Bezengi as a ship from the dark fleet of Russia is futile, while the registered information of the ship indicates that this tanker possesses all the characteristics related to a dark fleet vessel.
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Status of the rescue operation and weather conditions
Currently, there have been no updates from Ambrey, the company responsible for the rescue operation, as well as from the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and IT of Oman. Weather conditions are particularly favorable for the rescue operation: the sea is calm and the wind speed is blowing at 2.34 meters per second towards the northwest, and the weather conditions are expected to remain the same next week. It is likely that the oil spill has been controlled by pumping oil from the damaged tanks to healthier tanks. Oil pumps were transported to the deck of the damaged tanker by the Royal Air Force of Oman last month.
Currently, familiar ships are stationed near Caroline Bezengi, but there are still no signs of an oil recovery vessel that can unload the remaining cargo. Given the rise in oil prices, which are now above $100 per barrel, the value of the remaining cargo has likely increased since the incident occurred. The multi-purpose vessel EDT Kennedy (IMO 9671400), managed by EDT, shows that it has departed from Dukom on October 22 and is now stationed near Al Qibliyyah Island.
The oil tanker Caroline Bezengi was moving after passing through the Suez Canal on May 30 and was carrying a cargo of oil loaded from Novorossiysk towards Gujarat when it was affected by mine explosions. The crew of this tanker was rescued without injury within four days after the explosion by another tanker, Noble Walker (IMO 9292981), which is sanctioned due to its connections with Russia. This tanker was also carrying Russian oil on its way to India.
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