A vessel from the so-called shadow fleet, which is under Western sanctions for allegedly transporting Russian crude oil, appears to be leaking oil in a marine protected area off the coast of Oman.

Reuters reported on July 17 (local time), citing satellite imagery and expert analysis, that the Caroline Bezengi, a vessel belonging to the Russian shadow fleet, is leaking oil southwest of Al-Hallaniyah Island (Al-Qibliya) off the coast of Oman.

Although the Caroline Bezengi is registered to a company based in Shanghai, it is subject to sanctions by the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom for its involvement in transporting Russian crude oil.

According to vessel tracking data, the ship recently loaded crude oil at Novorossiysk, a major Russian oil export hub on the Black Sea, before setting sail.

It first reported anomalies off the coast of Mukalla, Yemen, on June 8, and transmitted its last location signal off the Yemeni coast on June 11.

Satellite images from the EU's Copernicus program, taken between July 2 and July 13, show the waters southwest of Al-Qibliya Island covered in what appears to be a silver and gray oil slick.

Experts from environmental monitoring group SkyTruth and satellite imagery analysis firm DataDesk explained that these images indicate an oil spill.

Reuters stated that it obtained footage of the Caroline Bezengi filmed off the coast of Al-Qibliya Island, but could not verify the date the footage was recorded.

The news agency added that it remains unclear whether the spill was caused by a defect in the vessel itself, an attack by Ukraine, which has targeted Russian oil tankers, or the ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran in the Middle East.

The site of the incident is located on a route leading to the Strait of Hormuz, and Russia has primarily used aging vessels in its shadow fleet to evade Western sanctions.