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Oil spill hits Oman shores: How are slicks cleaned, why is it concerning for Gulf
Although both land and water spills are harmful and cause long-lasting damage, water spills tend to spread faster and harm wildlife immediately
- PUBLISHED: Sun 16 Aug 2026, 1:29 PM UPDATED: Sun 16 Aug 2026, 1:37 PM
As Oman battles the spread oil spill threatening its marine wildlife — known to be one of the worst in the region — the focus has shifted towards human intervention causing major collateral damage to nature.
On August 6, the transport ministry had revealed the sinking of an oil tanker — Caroline Bezengi — near Oman's Al-Qibliyyah Island, part of the Al Hallaniyat Islands archipelago in Dhofar. The grounding and oil spill threaten the island's rich marine life and natural ecosystem, with efforts underway to protect the environment and ensure safe navigation.
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Few days later, it confirmed there was an oil spill and authorities were working on managing it in order to avoid environmental and public safety damage.
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With the slick reaching Omani shores and contaminating Ras Madrakah beaches, the Sultanate has begun inspecting fish products in the market, while warning fishermen and the public to steer away from such areas.
As efforts continue to contain the spill, find out why oil spills occur in the first place and how they are contained.
What is an oil spill?
An oil spill occurs when liquid petroleum or refined oil products are released into the environment, particularly into marine environments, due to human errors and activities.
Although both land and water spills are harmful and cause long-lasting damage, water spills tend to spread faster and harm wildlife immediately, while land spills slowly ruin soil and groundwater for decades.
How do oil spills happen?
Oil spills can happen due to multiple reasons, most of them being due to human activities. These range from tanker accidents to natural seepages.
Tanker accidents: Many oil spill incidents take place due to tanker accidents where a ship may have run aground, been attacked, or suffered a leak due to sinking, mishandling, or collisions.
Some oil spills also take place due to the operational release of oil into oceans, which violates several marine and environmental laws. Although, data indicates that intentional spills have reduced since the 1990s with the tightening of laws and better build of hulls.
Pipeline leaks: Pipeline leaks account for one per cent of oil spills, with such incidents taking place due to trawling of fishing boats, natural disasters, pipe corrosion, construction defects, sabotage, or attacks.
These leaks often take place on land, with only a fraction of the leak reaching the oceans.
Offshore drilling accidents: Although offshore drilling methods and technologies have improved in the recent years, a blowout — an uncontrolled release of oil due to pressure systems failing — may cause oil leaks. Such spills can go on for months unless relief wells are built.
Damage to oil platforms: Damage to oil platforms causes oil spills when structural failures, explosions, or collisions rupture high-pressure undersea wells, riser pipes, or storage tanks. Without working safety valves or stable surface structures, thousands of barrels of crude oil escape unchecked into the ocean.
Illegal or deliberate discharges: Illegal or deliberate discharges cause oil spills when ships or industrial operators intentionally dump oily waste, fuel residues, or dirty ballast water straight into oceans or waterways to bypass costly legal disposal fee.
Natural seepage: Natural seepages cause oil releases when oil and gas under deep underground pressure escape through natural cracks, fissures, or eroding rock formations in the ocean floor or Earth's crust. Like a natural underground spring, this petroleum rises into the water or onto land, forming widespread surface slicks and tar deposits.
A small spill near a sensitive wetland can potentially cause serious ecological damage, while a larger spill in a different environment may behave differently. Factors include:
Type of oil
Amount released
Distance from shore
Water temperature
Wind and currents
Season
Presence of wildlife
Whether the oil reaches beaches, mangroves or coral reefs
Once the oil enters the water, the slick doesn't just remain in one area. It may spread across the water's surface and be moved by currents and winds, while washing ashore. It could also evaporate, break into droplets, become trapped in sediments or be broken down naturally by microorganisms.
Environmental impact
Oil spills are terrible for the marine environment, impacting not only the animals but also their habitat and their source of food.
Birds: The oil from the spill can coat feathers, reducing birds' ability to stay warm and making it difficult for them to fly.
Marine mammals: Oil can contaminate fur and may be inhaled or ingested by marine mammals.
Fish: Eggs and larvae can be particularly vulnerable.
Coral reefs: Oil can smother or chemically damage sensitive reef ecosystems.
Coastlines: Oil can become embedded in sand, rocks and wetlands, sometimes remaining there for years.
However, the impact on wildlife varies depending on the type and quantity of oil, location, weather, temperature and ecosystem involved.
How are oil spills cleaned up?
Multiple clean-up methods are used during oil spills as not all work in every situation.
Booms: Booms are temporary floating barriers used during oil spills to contain the spread of oil on water, protect sensitive habitats, and guide the oil toward collection points for easier recovery.
Skimmers: An oil skimmer is a mechanical device used during oil spills to physically separate and remove floating oil from the surface of the water. They function from boats, barges, or the shoreline to recover spilled hydrocarbons and pump them into temporary storage tanks for disposal or recycling.
Absorbent materials: Absorbent materials used during oil spills are solid substances that soak up or trap oil through absorption or adsorption. To work well on water or land, these materials must be water-repelling and oil-attracting so they only target oil.
Dispersants: Dispersants are chemical sprays used during oil spills to break large surface slicks into tiny, microscopic droplets that mix into the water column. By acting like dish soap on grease, they reduce surface tension, protect sensitive shorelines, and help natural bacteria eat the oil much faster.
Controlled burning: Controlled burning removes large amounts of spilled oil from the water surface by setting it on fire directly at the spill site. This process can eliminate over 95 per cent of a thick oil slick, turning the oil into carbon dioxide and water vapor while stopping the slick from reaching sensitive coastlines.
Shoreline clean-up: Shoreline cleanups remove bulk oil and contaminated sand or rocks from beaches. This stops the oil from washing back into the ocean and protects animals, plants, and local communities from long-term harm.
Why are oil spills a concern in the Gulf region?
Oil spills are a critical concern in the Gulf region because the semi-enclosed, shallow sea traps pollutants, threatening sensitive marine habitats.
The region relies heavily on coastal desalination plants that draw in seawater for drinking water, meaning an oil slick can force these vital facilities to shut down, endangering regional water security.
Oil slicks may trap pollutants as the Strait of Hormuz limits water exchange with the open ocean, meaning oil and toxins can linger for decades. Slicks can also cause damage to delicate environments like mangrove forests, coral reefs, and turtle-nesting beaches found in the region.
With the Middle East known for its high-density shipping, the oil tanker traffic increases chances of navigational accidents and collisions.
The ongoing regional war also comes as a cause of concern, with attacks on tankers heightening the risk of deliberate or accidental spills.
Major global incidents
Some of the biggest oil spills in history include intentional wartime releases, massive offshore well blowouts, and catastrophic tanker collisions that released millions of gallons of crude oil into the environment.
Gulf War Oil Spill (1991): Iraqi forces intentionally released an estimated 380 million to 520 million gallons of crude oil into the Arabian Gulf, making it the largest oil spill in history.
Lakeview Gusher (1910–1911): An accidental underground oil well blowout in Kern County, California, spewed roughly 378 million gallons of oil before it was finally brought under control.
Deepwater Horizon (2010): An explosion on BP's offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico released roughly 134 million gallons of oil over nearly three months, ranking as the largest marine accidental oil spill.
Ixtoc I (1979): An exploratory offshore oil well blew out in the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in an estimated 140 million gallons of oil spilling into the water over several months.
Atlantic Empress (1979): Two supertankers collided off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago during a tropical storm, losing about 90 million gallons of oil in the largest ship-source spill ever recorded.
