UAE's Ras Al Khaimah closes all beaches as a tanker oil spill reaches neighbouring coasts
Ras Al Khaimah closed all of its public beaches "until further notice" on Saturday, a day after Umm Al Quwain and Sharjah shut beaches over an oil leak from a tanker off the UAE coast. The emirate's statement gave no reason, but the closure comes as authorities try to contain the spill, which the environment ministry says caused the strong fuel smell reported in several emirates.
All public beaches in Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost emirate of the United Arab Emirates, were closed on Saturday "until further notice". The Public Services Department announced the measure together with Ras Al Khaimah Police General Headquarters, saying it takes effect immediately, that no reopening date has been set and that residents and visitors should stay away from coastal areas, according to Gulf News.
The statement itself did not give a reason, Reuters and Al Arabiya noted. The closure, however, comes a day after an offshore oil leak from a tanker forced beach closures in the neighbouring emirates of Umm Al Quwain and Sharjah, and the UAE newspaper The National reported the Ras Al Khaimah decision as part of the response to the spill.
The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment confirmed this week that its monitoring system had detected marine pollution from a tanker oil spill that had reached the beaches of Umm Al Quwain. It said the spill was behind the strong fuel smell residents had reported in Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain, and that the odours pose no health risk. Containment, cordoning off and clean-up work began immediately, the ministry said.
All beaches and coastal areas in Umm Al Quwain have been temporarily closed until technical teams finish their assessments, and fishermen have been told to avoid the affected areas. In Sharjah, Al Hamriyah Beach, near the border with Umm Al Quwain, was closed on Friday as a precaution, the Sharjah Government Media Bureau said.
UAE authorities have not named the tanker or said what caused the leak. BBC Verify reported that satellite images show the slick coming from a ship matching the location and size of Gem No.2, a Panama-flagged crude tanker that maritime intelligence firm Vanguard said was "struck by an unknown projectile" on 9 October off Al Jazeera Al Hamra, a coastal town in Ras Al Khaimah. A fire on board was put out and all 22 Indian crew members were rescued, the Indian consulate in Dubai said. Martin Kelly, chief executive of Orbital Risk Intelligence, also told Reuters the spill was coming from Gem No.2.
According to BBC Verify, a small leak was first visible on 19 October and the slick had spread more than 35 km from the tanker by Wednesday, reaching towards the Siniyah and Khor Al Beidah islands, a recognised Key Biodiversity Area with corals, seagrass and green turtles. Experts quoted by the BBC and The National say it is too early to measure the damage, but warn that the Gulf's semi-enclosed waters can let pollution linger.
The spill comes amid wider concern about attacks on commercial shipping in Gulf sea lanes since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, Reuters noted. The BBC reported that Gem No.2 was one of a record number of vessels attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz in early October.