Satellite photos reveal the appearance of dark slicks on the surface of the sea in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. » Optical images are not the most suitable for verifying this type of phenomenon , » geographer Isabella Damiani told TV5MONDE.
On Copernicus satellite images, dark waves appeared on March 18, between the port of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, where several tankers have been stuck since the war in Iran. Copernicus 2-minute read
Thick black smoke billows from the Lavan refinery, located on a small island in the Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz. It appears in satellite images taken on Wednesday, April 8, by Copernicus, the European Earth observation program . The Iranian National Oil Refining and Distribution Company stated the same day that the Lavan site had been the victim of a » cowardly attack , » even as a ceasefire had just been agreed upon between Washington and Tehran , forty days after the start of the war.
This Iranian refinery processes crude oil extracted from a nearby field and produces 60,000 barrels per day, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Satellite photos show the appearance of dark slicks on the sea surface around the Lavan refinery between April 2 and 8.Made with Flourish • Create a chart
“ This is a major environmental emergency ,” Wim Zwijnenburg, project manager at the Dutch religious peace organization PAX , which is monitoring the environmental consequences of the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, told CNN . According to the American news network, the black slicks correspond to oil spills. CNN journalists relied on optical images from the European Space Agency to conduct their investigation .
Series of oil attacks
“ Optical images (Sentinel-2, Landsat, SPOT) are not the most suitable for verifying this type of phenomenon ,” explains Isabella Damiani, a geographer and specialist in the geopolitics of Central Asia, in an interview with TV5MONDE. According to her, it is preferable to rely on radar images to detect the appearance of an oil spill. Optical sensors differ from radar because they cannot capture images at night and cannot see through clouds.
Since the Israeli-American attacks of February 28, Iran has partially blockaded the Strait of Hormuz and attacked any ship attempting to cross it without its permission. Before the war, 20% of the world’s oil transited through this strategic waterway. On April 1, Agence France-Presse reported that Tehran had attacked just under thirty ships, including oil tankers. Copernicus satellite images show dark waves appearing on March 18 between the port of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, where several tankers are stranded.Made with Flourish • Create a chart
This phenomenon is not limited to Iran, but is also observed in other Gulf countries , such as Kuwait. On Sunday, April 5, the country announced that Iranian attacks had caused » significant damage . » Several oil facilities were damaged by Iranian drone attacks, according to Kuwait’s national oil company. Satellite images taken on April 5 show a black slick escaping from the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, one of the country’s largest.Made with Flourish • Create a chart
“ Right now, there are dozens of oil tankers carrying billions of liters of oil trapped in the Persian Gulf, while mines are being laid and missiles are striking ships. It’s an environmental catastrophe waiting to happen ,” stated Nina Noelle, a member of the environmental organization Greenpeace Germany, in March. She has mapped the tankers trapped in the region and the potential impacts of an oil spill .
“ A single oil spill in the Gulf could irreparably damage this fragile marine habitat, with devastating consequences for the people, animals, and plants of the region, adding to the terrible human toll,” adds Nina Noelle. According to Greenpeace, 85 large oil tankers are still trapped in the Persian Gulf. US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, April 21, that he would extend the ceasefire to allow for negotiations with Tehran, without setting a new deadline.
source : TV5 monde info
