DUBAI — Environmental devastation is unfolding across the Strait of Hormuz as multiple oil tankers, damaged amid ongoing regional hostilities between the United States and Iran, continue to leak massive quantities of crude oil into vital shipping lanes.

Maritime authorities and regional reports indicate that at least five commercial tankers have sustained severe explosions and fire damage over a three-day span in the southern sectors of the strait. Among the casualties were two Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), each hauling immense petroleum reserves, which detonated while navigating the volatile corridor. Additional maritime assets, including vessels under foreign military protection, have similarly fallen victim to aquatic hazards and detonations.

The resulting petroleum discharge has begun drifting toward neighboring coastlines, triggering critical environmental alarms in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In Muscat, Omani disaster management officials convened urgent sessions to address maritime grounding incidents near territorial islands and assess localized pollution along the Musandam coastal boundary. Authorities noted that regional ecosystems remain highly vulnerable following similar spill containment efforts earlier in the year.

Meanwhile, across the maritime border, the UAE faces mounting ecological and economic fallout. Beaches along the eastern seaboard have experienced temporary closures and extensive cleanup operations following offshore petroleum leaks originating from earlier Gulf incidents, highlighting the widening collateral impact of regional shipping disruptions.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]