Tanker Oil Spill Forces UAE To Close All Beaches In Umm Al Quwain As Cleanup Continues

The UAE has closed all beaches and coastlines in Umm Al Quwain after an oil spill from a tanker was detected. Clean-up operations are currently underway in the affected regions.

In a statement on Friday, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment revealed that its monitoring system detected the oil spill. The local and federal authorities have taken action to control the pollution since then.

The Ministry has not disclosed the name of the ship responsible for the spill or the cause of the spill.

Residents in Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah and Ajman reported unusual odours. The ministry stated that there is no threat to public health from the odours.

Authorities began containment measures after detecting the pollution and cordoned off affected areas in coordination with local and federal agencies.

Cleanup and remediation work is continuing to limit environmental damage. Technical teams are carrying out coastal surveys and monitoring the affected waters to establish the extent of the pollution and assess its effects on the marine ecosystem.

The ministry said the beaches and coastal areas would remain closed until the assessments were complete and officials had determined the safety measures needed to protect the public and marine environment.

It also urged fishermen and other sea users to avoid affected areas and follow official instructions. Further action will depend on the findings of the ongoing assessments.

The latest spill is part of a series of oil spills in the region since the outbreak of the Iran war.

In June, the tanker Caroline Bezengi ran aground near Oman’s Hallaniyat Islands, leaking Russian crude oil into waters off the country’s southern coast.

By mid-August, satellite images revealed that oil had spread along up to 40 kilometres of coastline.

In a separate incident, oil pollution reached Iran’s Qeshm Island after the bulk carrier Minoan Pioneer was damaged near the Strait of Hormuz on August 3.

Satellite imagery analysed by the United Nations University showed an oil slick covering about 100 square kilometres of water near Qeshm and neighbouring Hengam Island.

The university warned that oil spills can have long-term environmental effects. Oil can travel away from the original spill site and become trapped in mangrove roots and coastal sediments, even after visible slicks disappear.

On October 9, a ship, identified by shipping sources as Gem No.2, was hit by an unidentified projectile about 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera in the UAE. A fire broke out as a result of the attack and was later put out.

No information is available about the connection between the attack on Gem No.2 and the oil spill.

References: Firstpost, Reuters