Two months have passed since nearly eight tons of oil leaked into the water off the coast of Chabahar in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, and despite the recovery efforts the accident’s effects still linger.
“Oil slicks are still easily visible,” Saeed Mahmoudi, head of the provincial office of the Department of Environment, told IRNA.
“Coastal cliffs are covered in oil and require immediate attention lest they return back to the water.”
On October 23, eight tons of mazut —a heavy, low-quality fuel oil — spilled into the Sea of Oman from a MARC ship.
Mahmoudi commended the response of the Ports and Maritime Organization to clean up the spill, but noted that “a lot more needs to be done.”
A complaint has been filed against the ship-owner, but the cost of the damage has not yet been determined.
Environmental experts are currently assessing the ecological damage of the spill, some of which could be irreversible.
“It could take a huge toll on marine life,” the official conceded.
Chabahar is a free port on the coast of the Gulf of Oman, situated on the Makran Coast of the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province. It is located 700 km south of provincial capital Zahedan.
