Salvage under way at the Caroline Bezengi wreck off Oman as the monsoon eases
Pumps are being flown aboard by helicopter from EDT Kennedy, with Duqm serving as the shore base
The operation to recover the crude oil still on board the stranded tanker Caroline Bezengi (IMO 9224439) is now under way off the southern coast of Oman. The tanker has been aground on rocks off the south-west tip of Jazirat Al Qibliyyah, the easternmost of the Hallaniyat Islands off Dhofar, since about 23 June.
Work appears to have started within the last few days: satellite imagery shortly before showed no other vessels near the wreck. The high winds and heavy seas of the Khareef monsoon have now eased, which is what had kept salvors away for most of the summer.
The main unit on scene is the multi-purpose offshore vessel EDT Kennedy (IMO 9671400), which carries the logo of its owner, EDT Offshore, a Limassol-based provider of offshore support vessels to the oil and gas industry. The offshore supply tug Astro Sculptor, associated with the Omani diving and underwater services company Mola Marine Services of Shinas, has also been tracked off the island.
Pump machinery is being lifted by helicopter from EDT Kennedy onto the tanker's stern, which sits well clear of the water. A Royal Air Force of Oman NH90 is flying the lifts, and a second, civilian helicopter may also be involved. A salvor has been working on deck while waves wash over it, the tanker carrying a pronounced list to starboard. Heavy-gauge floating hose is being hauled from EDT Kennedy towards the wreck, in line with the original plan to run a 1,000-metre line to a receiving tanker moored in the sheltered north-western lee of the island.
No receiving tanker is yet in the area. The first task may instead be to move oil between tanks on board, to stabilise the ship, protect the hull and stop the list from increasing.
The shore base has also moved. The plan had been to set up a forward base on the small port and airfield of the main Hallaniyat island, 25 nautical miles to the west; vessel movements now point to the mainland port of Duqm as the principal base.
The tanker was disabled by an explosion on 8 June after loading at Novorossiysk for Gujarat, and is sanctioned under EU, UK and US measures. Imagery over the past week shows a reduced flow from the oil plume, suggesting the breached tanks are now leaking at a lower rate. The forecast for the coming week has average winds rarely above 20 knots, although weather at the end of the Khareef can be variable and squalls could still delay the work.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 26 September 2026.
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