Spiegel: Oil slick spreads across 400 square kilometres in Strait of Hormuz

Greenpeace estimated that the affected area covered about 200 square kilometres on September 9 before doubling to approximately 400 square kilometres the following day.

Der Spiegel identified the tanker Riesco as a possible source of the spill. The 240-metre-long, Zimbabwe-flagged vessel was last detected near the reported spill area, according to vessel-tracking data cited by the magazine. No signal has been received from the ship since.

Greenpeace said the spill likely began on the evening of September 8 or during the following night, when thermal anomalies consistent with an oil release were detected.

The slick is currently drifting offshore, but environmental groups have warned that the situation could become more serious if crude reaches the coastline. Particular concern has been raised over the possibility of pollution reaching Iran’s Rud-e Gaz and Rud-e Khara wetlands, a protected area of about 150 square kilometres that provides habitat for fish, sea turtles, water snakes and migratory birds.

The reported spill follows U.S. military strikes on Iranian oil tankers. U.S. Central Command said on September 8 that its forces had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers: Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1 and Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, and Derya near Iran’s Kharg Island.

CENTCOM also said U.S. forces had destroyed three Iranian oil tankers on September 5.