Oman Issues 24-Hour Ultimatum Over Grounded Tanker Bezengi

Grounded Tanker Faces Legal Deadlock as Condition Worsens

Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology has given the owners of the beached tanker Caroline Bezengi just 24 hours to respond to a formal removal order, according to a report by the Maritime Executive citing Muscat Daily. The Cameroon-flagged Supermax (IMO 9224439) lies aground off Jazirat Al Qibliyyah, part of the Hallaniyat Islands off Oman’s Dhofar coast, and authorities are threatening legal action if the demand goes unanswered.

The vessel’s registered owner, Rentoor Shipmanagement, is listed at an address in Huangpu Qu, Shanghai, that reportedly matches a residential apartment block rather than a functioning corporate office — a pattern commonly seen in the paperwork of Russia-linked “dark fleet” tankers. It is unclear whether the company has even acknowledged Oman’s directive.

Timeline of the Casualty

The 159,168 dwt tanker reported an onboard explosion on June 8 while off Dhofar. Loaded with crude from Novorossiysk and bound for India, the ship is under EU, UK, and US (OFAC) sanctions and has previous ties to Russian state-owned Sovcomflot. Its crew appears to have abandoned ship roughly three days after the blast, and their current whereabouts are unknown, though some former officers have reportedly been helping Omani authorities assess the wreck.

A Deteriorating and Dangerous Wreck

The grounding site is hazardous: the tanker is caught on rocks at the bow, with additional submerged rocks off the port side and roughly 500 yards astern that could further damage the hull if it shifts. A July 12 inspection found the vessel had worsened significantly compared to an aerial survey conducted just a week earlier. Only one cargo tank — empty — appears undamaged; the rest remain full and show signs of seawater ingress. The ship is settling deeper and listing more heavily, and crude has begun leaking into the ballast and double-hull spaces, raising the risk of explosive vapor buildup.

An independent salvage assessment commissioned by Omani authorities confirmed the vessel’s precarious state and outlined a possible plan: transferring cargo via a roughly 1,000-yard pipeline to a receiving tanker anchored in sheltered waters, then lightening and refloating the wreck. However, the plan carries real risk of onboard explosion or further structural breakup during the operation.

Ecological Stakes and Legal Paralysis

No decision to begin salvage has been made, reportedly stalled by ongoing legal complications. Without prompt intervention, the tanker could break apart and spill its cargo into the Hallaniyat Islands Marine Buffer Zone — a protected habitat for humpback whales, seabirds, and turtles — as well as contaminate stretches of the Dhofar coastline. Notably, these same legal disputes are said to have already prevented the vessel from being taken under tow before it ran aground. On the other hand, a successful salvage could recover enough crude to more than offset the operation’s cost.

The case has also drawn attention to Oman’s own shipping registry, which reportedly includes 39 suspected dark-fleet tankers out of 44 vessels total — many likely tied to unresponsive owners, questionable insurance coverage, aging hulls, and exposure to sanctions enforcement.

What It Means for Owners and Surveyors

This incident is a stark illustration of why condition and pre-purchase surveys matter well before a casualty occurs. Aging, opaque-ownership tankers operating with minimal transparency are precisely the vessels most likely to lack timely maintenance records, verifiable insurance, or a management structure capable of responding to an emergency. For port states, flag registries, and charterers alike, the Caroline Bezengi case underscores the operational value of independent condition surveys and rigorous vetting — catching structural or ownership red flags before a vessel becomes a stranded, unsalvageable liability is far cheaper, and far less environmentally costly, than dealing with the aftermath.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.