Overview
- Maritime firm Windward AI reported a second suspected slick near Kharg Island with a visible area of 12 to 20 square kilometers.
- Satellite images also show a larger gray‑white sheen west of the island that analysts estimate at tens of thousands of barrels and about 65 square kilometers.
- Windward said the main slick is drifting southwest with a path that could enter Qatar’s waters in about four days and reach near Al Mirfa in the UAE in roughly 13 days.
- Iran’s Oil Terminals Company said inspections found no leaks and the regional MEMAC center reported none, while a lawmaker blamed waste from European tankers.
- A U.N. analyst warned the pattern fits strain on aging pipelines during a Strait of Hormuz shutdown that has bottled up tankers, heightening risks to coasts, fisheries, and desalination plants if oil nears population centers.