Fox World reports: A second suspected oil slick has been detected near Iran’s Kharg Island export hub, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward AI, heightening fears of an environmental disaster as a larger spill identified May 8 continues drifting toward Saudi Arabian waters.The suspected new slick comes as U.N. officials warned Sunday that oil spills in the region could trigger an environmental catastrophe amid the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis."Another possible oil spill was detected today at 11 a.m. local time," Windward told Fox News Digital.
The approximate visible area, according to the firm, was between 12 to 20 square kilometers.Tehran has pointed to foreign vessels, but maritime experts say the main slick — estimated at tens of thousands of barrels and covering about 65 square kilometers, according to the U.N. University Institute for Water, Environment and Health — is more likely linked to aging infrastructure, pipeline ruptures or a "war mode" environment that has threatened the waterway since February.IRAN THREATENS MASS ‘WATER WAR’ WITH STRIKES ON KEY PLANTS IN DAYS, UN OFFICIAL WARNS"We should worry about the cause of the slick and monitor things carefully to see if there are new developments," U.N.
Background
Kaveh Madani told Fox News Digital."If this slick gets bigger, we should be seriously worried about there being a leakage of aging infrastructure," Madani said, adding the slick was "moving away toward the southwest of the island.""We just have to see how it moves and if it gets closer to the centers of population. If it does, desalination operations also must be halted.
Originally reported by Fox World. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
