The Story Behind the Black Slick Near Kharg Island
WANA (May 10) – As images of a large black slick circulating around Kharg Island have spread widely on social media in recent days, the CEO of the Iranian Oil Terminals Company says specialized inspections have found no signs of leakage from Iranian oil facilities or tankers.
Abbas Asadduz, CEO of the Iranian Oil Terminals Company, stated that inspections of the island’s infrastructure showed no leaks in storage tanks, metering systems, jetties, pipelines, or tankers currently loading oil.
“In the infrastructure, storage tanks, metering systems, jetties, Kharg pipelines, and vessels under loading operations, no leakage has been detected,” he said.
The controversy intensified after Jafar Pourkabgani, the representative of Bushehr, Genaveh, and Deylam in Iran’s parliament, claimed two days ago that European vessels had discharged oily waste and ballast water residues from their tankers into the Gulf waters.
The Black Slick Near Kharg Island. Social media /WANA News Agency
According to informed sources, regulations governing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz extend beyond transit permits. Vessel owners and cargo operators responsible for environmental pollution or disruptions in the strategic waterway may be required to compensate Iran for damages.
Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, remains one of the country’s most sensitive maritime and environmental zones, making any sign of pollution in its surrounding waters a matter of immediate public and regulatory concern.
