Oman is responding to a major oil spill in waters near protected islands. Containment operations are under way.

Spills close to protected marine areas are harder to manage than open-water incidents. Shallow water, reefs and nesting or breeding habitat limit the equipment that can be deployed, and oil that reaches sheltered shorelines persists far longer than oil dispersed at sea.

Figures and locations beyond those reported in today''s source material are not included here.