Satellite Images Show Persian Gulf Oil Slicks Growing During War

Article content

(Bloomberg) — Ecologists are concerned that the war in the Middle East risks creating an environmental disaster, as satellite images show that the number of oil slicks in the Persian Gulf has increased significantly since the beginning of the conflict in the region in late February.

Article content

“If it disperses towards a coastal system, that’s going to have detrimental impacts to any bird species, fishing resources and communities that are dependent on them,” said Liz Atwood, a senior scientist at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, a UK-based research center.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Experts said the slicks could be the result of attacks on ships or on oil and gas infrastructure, or caused by technical problems during loading and unloading operations of fuel.

Article content

Article content

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage that links the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, has been effectively shut for most of the past three months, leaving hundreds of vessels trapped and unable to transit into the open ocean. Several ships have been struck with projectiles and fragments from intercepted drones and missiles since the conflict began. Onshore energy facilities have also been attacked across the region, increasing the risk of spills.

Article content

“When there are attacks on oil tankers or infrastructure on land, like refineries, the possibility that there is a spill is much higher,” said Juan Peña, chief executive officer at Orbital, a Spain-based company specializing in detecting oil spills through satellite images including from the European Union’s Earth observation agency Copernicus. 

Article content

While physically verifying incidents in the region remains challenging due to the ongoing conflict, non-profits and private companies have been using satellites to track events.

Article content

Article content

The spills that have been observed so far go from  a few dozen barrels of oil to larger incidents that would typically lead to cleanup operations anywhere else in the world. The largest spills detected so far originated in Iran’s Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export facility — one on May 6, which Orbital estimated had a volume of between 300 and 3,000 barrels of oil, and another on May 16, with a volume of 200-2,000 barrels.

Article content

Orbital’s ranges are wide because it’s impossible to know the exact amount of oil released in the Persian Gulf just with satellite images, Peña said. 

Article content

Another slick originated in the island of Lavan and has now reached Shidvar, an uninhabited island on Iranian waters that’s a natural reserve, home to numerous bird species and corals. While the cause of the spill, first reported in the New York Times, remains unknown, it occurred between April 9 or 10, soon after a strike on the Lavan oil refinery, according to Orbital’s analysis of satellite data.

Article content

A third, smaller incident took place on May 4 in the strait of Hormuz. Following media reports that ADNOC-owned tanker Barakah was attacked, a slick of 33.2 square kilometers with an estimated volume of 25 to 230 barrels of oil was released to sea in the same area, Orbital’s analysis shows.