Investigating barriers to the effective management of untraceable oil spills: towards greater protection of the Musandam Peninsula coastline, Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

This thesis examines the effects of small-scale ‘mystery’ marine oil spills from shipping on the environment and natural life, as well as the economy of the Musandam Peninsula in Oman. The study reveals that ‘mystery’ spills (i.e., spills from an unknown source), are more common than spills whose source can be identified. The perpetrators of these mystery spills go largely unpunished, yet they cause serious damage to coastal communities. This is a breach of environmental justice, which is the main theoretical concept informing this thesis. Musandam serves as a case study due to its strategic location in the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil transport route. Residents report that oil slicks and tar balls on Musandam's coast result from tanker and ship discharges in the Strait of Hormuz. The study highlights a weakness in the compensation system which requires information about which vessels are to blame for spills in order to operate the polluter pays principle. Such information is very difficult to obtain because many vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz every day and oil spills can shift and disperse quite rapidly. This situation raises environmental justice concerns, particularly for local communities and fishers who face clean-up costs with little prospect of obtaining compensation to reimburse them. The stakeholders interviewed in the study proposed two solutions: establishing a regional compensation fund for mystery oil spills paid for by ship owners; and using technology to detect spillers more effectively. Additionally, stakeholders emphasise the need for greater community involvement in decision-making. This study pioneers the examination of mystery oil spills in Musandam, offering insights into dealing with opportunistic polluters. The framework developed has potential applicability to similar contexts elsewhere.