UAE Closes All Umm Al Quwain Beaches After Tanker Oil Spill

The United Arab Emirates has temporarily closed every beach and coastal area in Umm Al Quwain after an oil spill from a tanker affected the emirate's coastline. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment announced the closure on Friday, saying the measure would remain in place while the situation was assessed.

The ministry said its monitoring system had detected the tanker oil spill and established that beaches in Umm Al Quwain were affected. It did not identify the vessel involved in the spill or provide the name of the tanker in its statement.

International maritime agencies, however, said Gem No.2 had been struck in what was suspected to be an Iranian drone attack between October 9 and 10. Twenty-two Indian sailors were rescued from the 330-metre vessel at the time of that incident, according to the information cited in the report.

The scale and extent of the resulting oil slick remain unclear. Confirmation that the spill had affected the coastline came amid growing concern about the environmental consequences of the Iran war for the Gulf and the Arabian Sea.

Residents in Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain had reported odours in connection with the incident. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said those odours did not pose a health risk to residents in the three emirates.

The ministry said the temporary closure covers all beaches and coastal areas across Umm Al Quwain. Those locations will remain closed until the technical teams carrying out the work have completed their assessments and determined which safety measures and marine-protection measures are required.

Containment, cleanup and remediation operations began immediately after the spill was identified. The work is being conducted in coordination with local and federal authorities, with the stated purpose of limiting the environmental effects of the oil spill.

Survey operations are also continuing as a precautionary measure. The ministry said the ongoing surveys are intended to ensure the safety of the marine environment while the assessments and response operations proceed.

The ministry urged fishermen and other people who use the sea to comply with the instructions issued by the authorities. It specifically asked them to avoid fishing in the areas affected by the spill while the response remains underway.

Members of the public were also asked to obtain information through official channels and to avoid rumours. The ministry called on people to continue following official updates about developments related to the spill and the measures being taken in response.

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