DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates ordered the temporary closure of all beaches and coastal areas in Umm Al Quwain on Friday after an oil spill from a tanker was detected off the emirate’s coast, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment announced.
The ministry said containment operations and environmental assessments were launched immediately, with federal and local teams working on cordoning off the affected waters, cleanup and remediation to limit the environmental impact. The beaches will stay shut until technical teams complete their assessments and determine the safety and marine-protection measures needed, the ministry said in a statement carried on Friday.
Fishermen told to avoid affected waters
The ministry urged fishermen and others using the sea to avoid the affected areas and follow the instructions of the relevant authorities until further notice. It did not say what caused the spill, and authorities have not identified the tanker involved, Reuters reported.
The announcement followed a wave of reports from residents on social media about a strange odour drifting over parts of Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain. The ministry moved to calm the concern, saying the odours “pose no health risks to residents.”
Spill adds to Gulf maritime security fears
The incident comes amid heightened concern over maritime security in Gulf waters following a string of attacks on commercial vessels, including incidents beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
On October 9, shipping sources told Reuters that a vessel identified as GEM No.2 was struck by an unidentified projectile about 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera in the UAE, sparking a fire that was later extinguished. Earlier that same week, a tanker was also struck off the coast of Qatar inside the Gulf, maritime security sources said.
The spill also follows a separate tanker-related environmental scare in August, when oil from a tanker that ran aground off Oman began washing onto the mainland coast, raising fears of lasting environmental damage.
Authorities monitoring the shoreline
The ministry said cleanup, cordoning and remediation work began immediately, with teams drawn from both local and federal authorities, and that the closure would remain in force until assessments are complete. No timeline has been given for the reopening of the beaches, and officials have not said how far the slick has spread along the coast.
