Arabian Sea Bird and Turtle Habitat Threatened by Oil From Grounded Tanker

The spill of Russian crude bound for India compounds the environmental damage from spills in and around the Strait of Hormuz, where tankers and oil facilities have come under attack. By Pranav Baskar Sanam Mahoozi and Somini Sengupta An oil spill from a Russian shadow fleet tanker that ran aground two months ago has spread its long, black tongue across a remote, ecologically sensitive swath of the Arabian Sea, according to satellite data and statements from Oman’s government. The spill has encircled the rocky cliffs of an Omani island, Jazirat al Qibliyah, that is home to a range of endangered seabirds, and spread to a 25-mile stretch of beach on the mainland, called Ras Madrakah, Oman’s environmental agency said Wednesday in a statement carried by the state news agency. The spill compounds the environmental consequences of three widening, overlapping conflicts that have made oil and gas infrastructure targets of war in recent months. Russia and Ukraine have attacked each other’s energy facilities.

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