UAE authorities have restricted access to beaches in three emirates after oil from an unidentified tanker reached Umm Al Quwain, halting fishing in affected areas and leaving reopening dates unset.
On Friday, Oct. 23, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) said its monitoring system detected marine pollution from a tanker spill that reached Umm Al Quwain's shore. It connected the pollution with odors reported in Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain, and said the odors posed no health risk, Gulf News reported.
The tanker has not been officially identified, and the ministry has not confirmed the cause of the leak, Gulf News reported.
Umm Al Quwain has placed its beaches and coastal areas under a temporary closure as technical teams evaluate conditions and determine needed safeguards. The measure continues the earlier beach closure.
Sharjah's Government Media Bureau announced Friday that Al Hamriyah Beach was closing temporarily to keep pollution from reaching the coast. The bureau said specialist teams were taking protective steps for the emirate's beaches, according to Gulf News.
All public beaches in the emirate were closed until further notice under a Saturday, Oct. 24, announcement by the Ras Al Khaimah Public Services Department and Ras Al Khaimah Police General Headquarters, Gulf News reported. The authorities told residents and visitors to keep away from coastal areas, Gulf News reported.
The ministry said teams from federal and local agencies were coordinating spill control and shoreline restoration. Environmental assessments remain underway to gauge the effects. Umm Al Quwain Municipality Department said field crews were tracking affected sites to limit further pollution. Officials instructed fishermen in impacted parts of Umm Al Quwain to stay off the water until response work is finished.
Neither Umm Al Quwain nor Ras Al Khaimah has named a date for restoring public beach access. Ras Al Khaimah officials said they would issue updates as conditions change.
Odor reports began Monday, Oct. 19, in Sharjah and elsewhere in the UAE, prompting monitoring by federal and local agencies. On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the ministry said assessments found no grounds for concern while field checks continued. It announced the tanker spill two days later.
