Umm Al Quwain Beaches Shut as Tanker Oil Reaches Shore
Oil from the Gem No.2, struck near the Strait of Hormuz on 9 October, has spread more than 35km and is coating habitats home to green turtles and the critically endangered Halavi guitarfish.
By Tyler Khalil ·
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates closed beaches near the northern city of Umm Al Quwain on Thursday after oil from a struck tanker began washing ashore. Verified video filmed Friday shows the slick turning coastal waters black. The country's Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said it had "immediately began containment" in order to "limit environmental impacts".
The timeline of the spill stretches back to 9 October, when the Panama-flagged tanker Gem No.2 was "struck by an unknown projectile" just north of Al Jazeera Al Hamra, according to maritime intelligence firm Vanguard. The resulting fire was extinguished. Verified footage posted online the next day showed crew members running across the deck and donning lifejackets beneath a plume of black smoke. Iranian state media released video of a matching vessel ablaze with burning oil spilling into the sea and said the ship had attempted to leave the Strait of Hormuz by an "unauthorized and dangerous route". The Indian consulate in Dubai reported on 11 October that all 22 Indian crew members had been rescued.
Satellite images from Monday depicted the early stages of a leak from a vessel matching the Gem No.2's location and dimensions. A smaller leak was visible on 19 October, but radar imagery reviewed by BBC Verify and intelligence firm MAIAR recorded rapid growth over the next two days. By Wednesday, the slick extended more than 35km (22 miles) from the ship.
The slick is moving toward Siniyah and Khor Al Beidah islands, a globally recognised Key Biodiversity Area. Its habitats include corals, seagrasses and saltmarshes, and it supports green turtles and the critically endangered Halavi guitarfish. Eoghan Darbyshire, a scientist at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, called the spill's closeness to this area the "most concerning environmental angle". Prof Steve Widdicombe, director of the Sharjah Marine Science Research Centre, told BBC Verify it was "inevitable that there will be an impact". Researchers said it is too early to judge how severe that damage will be.
Gem No.2 was among a record number of ships reported attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz at the start of October. Security experts told BBC Verify the strikes formed part of an Iranian effort to assert greater control over the waterway after the US military escorted more vessels through it. Commercial ships have come under attack from both Iranian and US forces during the conflict between the two countries. In August, another large oil slick reached Iran's Qeshm Island, where experts said wildlife, protected ecosystems and fishing communities were threatened.
No timeline has been announced for reopening the closed beaches.
