Recent satellite images, examined Thursday by the French News Agency, show possible hydrocarbon leaks near the Strait of Hormuz, following U.S. airstrikes against oil tankers that Washington claimed were linked to the Revolutionary Guards.
An image from the European Copernicus agency, taken Wednesday, shows brown streaks on the water’s surface, about twenty kilometers from Iranian authorities, east of the strategically important sea passage that Tehran has strictly controlled since the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
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A photograph of the same maritime area taken by the Copernicus service yesterday shows the dark, spiral-shaped streaks widening.
These are likely fuel leaks, according to an AFP analysis based on these images and statements from researchers and experts the agency contacted, in an area containing coral reefs and sites listed on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
Satellite images alone are not sufficient to establish with a high degree of certainty the presence of hydrocarbons and their exact origin. However, “strong indications” suggest that this is “contamination” likely originating from “ships,” Vincent Kerbol, head of satellite monitoring of marine areas at the French company CLS, told the French Press Agency.
The images show “most likely oil slicks,” noted Léon Morland, a researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS), a UK-based nongovernmental organization.
His assessment is based on their appearance, shape, and distribution, as well as the absence of signs of phytoplankton or algae blooms, he explained.
SkyTruth, an American environmental monitoring company, also assessed that it is highly likely that these are hydrocarbons.
If the fuel is of “a certain volatility,” these slicks could “evaporate in three to four days,” according to Mr. Kerboll—but if they are oil, which is much denser, they will remain for much longer.
Two of the trails appear to originate from the locations where the tankers Riesco and Kylo transmitted their last positioning signals before sinking, on September 8 and September 5, respectively.
The U.S. military announced that it had destroyed five oil tankers on September 8, four of which were in the Gulf of Oman, in retaliation for attacks by the Revolutionary Guards using ballistic missiles against a U.S. warship.
Among the vessels bombed by the U.S. was the Riesco, a 240-meter-long tanker that sank after catching fire, according to images released by the U.S. military via X.
“Given the location and timeline” of the events, the Riesco is “likely” one of the sources of the spill, according to Mr. Morland of CEOBS.
The last signal regarding the ship’s position, available on the specialized shipping tracking website MarineTraffic, was sent on Wednesday at 1:00 a.m. (Cyprus time), exactly at the point where the oil slick closest to the coast begins.
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Source: CNA
