Caroline Bezengi
Cameroon-flagged tanker sanctioned by five jurisdictions and linked to Sovcomflot, grounded 21 June carrying Russian crude.
Caroline Bezengi is a Cameroon-flagged crude tanker, sanctioned by five jurisdictions over its Sovcomflot ties. It ran aground off Qibliyyah Island on 21 June 2026 carrying roughly 800,000 barrels of Russian crude, and the resulting spill has since fouled coastline in both Oman and Iran.
Last refreshed: 14 August 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
A sanctioned Russian shadow-fleet tanker is fouling two countries' coasts; why hasn't Iran named it directly?
Timeline for Caroline Bezengi
Mentioned in: Iran bills the world for Hormuz oil
Iran Conflict 2026Identified as the tanker responsible for oil reaching Omani and Iranian shores
Iran Conflict 2026: Caroline Bezengi fouls 40km of OmanBackground
Caroline Bezengi carries IMO number 9224439 and flies the Cameroon flag. Sun Ship Management and SCF Management Services manage the vessel; both companies trace back to Sovcomflot, Russia's largest state shipping company. The US, EU, UK, Canada and Switzerland sanction the tanker as part of Russia's shadow fleet.
The vessel ran aground off Qibliyyah Island on 21 June 2026 while laden with roughly 800,000 barrels of Russian crude. Oil from that grounding has since travelled to Oman's Ras Madrakah coast and to Iran's Qeshm Island, though outside monitors disagree sharply on how much escaped, with estimates spanning roughly 150 to 600 square kilometres and none reconciled.
Iran has demanded compensation for environmental damage to its coastline from Gulf shipping generally, but as of 13 August 2026 had not named this vessel, Sovcomflot or Russia in connection with the Qeshm slick, a gap that leaves responsibility for the incident formally unassigned.
What is the Caroline Bezengi tanker?
How big is the Caroline Bezengi oil spill?
Where did the Caroline Bezengi run aground?
Has Iran blamed Russia for the Qeshm oil slick?
