Ships Seeking to Cross The Strait of Hormuz Have Been Under Fire. Now Oil Spills Are Visible From Space.

How Iran war oil spills are threatening Gulf marine life, tourism and coastal communities

LONDON: Satellite images released this week reveal the shocking scale of oil spills in and around the Gulf caused by attacks on tankers since the Iran war began at the end of February. The cost, say experts, is devastating — to fisheries, delicate marine environments and vulnerable species, economies reliant on tourism and, potentially, freshwater supplies dependent on coastal desalination plants. More than 130 vessels are known to have been att…

Ships Seeking to Cross The Strait of Hormuz Have Been Under Fire. Now Oil Spills Are Visible From Space.

Greenpeace estimates that oil spills linked to the conflict have affected a cumulative area of about 20,000 square kilometers.

Gulf war leaves toxic legacy that could last decades

Greenpeace has identified 540 possible oil spills across the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Arabian Sea since the US-Iran war began on February 28 (see map below), with satellite imagery showing a cumulative slick footprint of approximately 20,000 sq km. Not all detections have been conclusively linked to attacks on shipping. The environmental consequences could …

Oil Slicks from Strait of Hormuz Strikes Threaten Gulf Marine Life

Oil slicks spreading across the strait of Hormuz are large enough to be seen from space. Throughout October, tankers in the waterway were struck by missiles or sea mines and spilled crude into the sea, part of the war between the US and Iran that began in February. The pollution has spread across the Gulf, […] The post Oil Slicks from Strait of Hormuz Strikes Threaten Gulf Marine Life first appeared on EnviroLink Network.