British firm starts containment of oil spill from stricken tanker off Oman

The tanker Caroline Bezengi, grounded and partly submerged off the coast of Oman (AP)

A British company has been hired to salvage a grounded Russian shadow fleet tanker off Oman’s coast and stop an oil spill that is threatening wildlife as it reaches the country’s shoreline following its dramatic spread in recent weeks.

Satellite images have shown that oil from the tanker Caroline Bezengi has exponentially spread over hundreds of square kilometres during stormy weather, endangering a marine protected area.