20-Square-Mile Oil Spill Detected Near Iran's Kharg Island Export Terminal
Photos released May 8, 2026, reveal oil oozing through the ocean near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz, with the spill covering 20 square miles and equaling as much as 3,000 lost barrels between May 6 and May 8. The cause remains unclear amid ongoing tensions that include a U.S.-Iran cease-fire and naval blockade. Roughly 90 percent of Iran's oil exports depart from the island.
New York PostSatellite photos released on May 8, 2026, show oil oozing through the ocean near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The spill spread to an area of 20 square miles between May 6 and May 8, 2026, amounting to as much as 3,000 lost barrels of oil, Orbital EOS reported. Orbital EOS is a global oil spill monitoring service.
It is unclear what caused the spill near Kharg Island. S. S. strikes on Kharg Island taking place in early April 2026.
Large volumes of crude oil stored in tankers are increasing spill risks at Kharg Island, Iranian energy expert Dalga Khatinoglu said. "A possible rupture in the old undersea pipeline to Abuzar field is another source of the spill," Dalga Khatinoglu added. Roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports depart from Kharg Island.
China is one of the main purchasers of oil exported from Kharg Island. -Israeli strikes began on February 28, 2026. -Israeli bombing commenced on February 28, 2026. At least one-fifth of the world’s supply of seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. ships since April 13, 2026. No Iranian-flagged vessels are allowed to transit the Strait of Hormuz amid a tenuous cease-fire with American forces that started days before April 13, 2026.
The naval blockade has likely pushed Iran’s oil system into a dangerous state, Nima Shokri said. "Oil wells are not machines that can simply be switched off and restarted at will," Nima Shokri, a professor of environmental engineering at the Hamburg University of Technology, stated. Iran has broken the cease-fire several times.
U.S. destroyers caught fire while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
5 events- 2026-05-08
Satellite photos released showing oil spill near Kharg Island
2 sourcesNew York Post · Orbital EOS - 2026-05-06 to 2026-05-08
Oil spill spreads to 20 square miles, equaling up to 3,000 lost barrels
1 sourceOrbital EOS - 2026-04-13
U.S. blockade of Tehran’s oil begins; Iranian-flagged vessels barred from Strait of Hormuz under cease-fire
1 sourceNew York Post - 2026-04-early
Most recent U.S. strikes on Kharg Island occur
1 sourceNew York Post - 2026-02-28
Joint U.S.-Israeli strikes begin; Iran shuts down Strait of Hormuz
1 sourceNew York Post
Potential Impact
- 01
Continued bottlenecking of hundreds of oil tankers and vessels carrying fertilizer and critical supplies out of the Persian Gulf.
- 02
Potential environmental damage from up to 3,000 barrels of oil in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for one-fifth of global seaborne oil.
- 03
Increased spill risks at Kharg Island due to stored crude in tankers and possible pipeline rupture amid naval blockade.
Transparency Panel
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