UAE authorities are working to contain an oil spill from a supertanker in the Arabian Gulf, with Umm Al Quwain Municipality intensifying efforts to limit pollution and protect marine habitats.
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment confirmed the incident early on Friday morning. It said the spill is causing a strong smell that residents of Dubai and the northern emirates have reported in recent days.
The ministry did not name the vessel, but international maritime agencies say the Gem No.2 was struck in a suspected Iranian drone attack on October 9 to 10. Twenty-two Indian sailors were rescued from the 330-metre vessel at the time.
The extent of the oil slick is unclear, but the incident was confirmed amid growing concerns about the environmental impact of the Iran war on the Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
On Friday afternoon, Sharjah authorities closed Al Hamriya Beach as a precautionary measure after Umm Al Quwain temporarily closed all beaches and coastal areas.
Umm Al Quwain Municipality said it was carrying out field operations to contain the effects of the spill and minimise damage to marine and coastal environments. The municipality will monitor conditions, identify affected areas and support clean-up and treatment work as part of those efforts.
Specialists will also help to assess the impact of the spill and determine appropriate measures.
People in the UAE have in recent days reported an acrid and strong fuel smell in the air. The ministry said there was no health risk from the odour, but advised the public to stay away from any oil that washes ashore.
"The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment confirms the UAE’s technical monitoring and environmental assessment system detected a tanker oil spill affecting Umm Al Quwain’s beaches," it said in a statement. "Odours noticed in Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain pose no health risks to residents.
"Teams immediately began containment, cordoning, clean-up and remediation with local and federal authorities to limit environmental impacts. Precautionary coastal surveys, monitoring and assessments continue to gauge impacts and protect the marine environment.
"With relevant authorities, the ministry has temporarily closed all Umm Al Quwain beaches and coastal areas until technical teams complete assessments and identify safety and marine protection measures. Fishermen and sea users are urged to follow authorities’ instructions and avoid fishing in affected areas."
Dr Diana Francis, an associate professor and head of the Environmental and Geophysical Sciences Lab at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, said oil spills caused by the regional conflict could create odours.
“When an oil spill happens, it continues to move with the currents unless it is removed and cleaned completely,” she told The National before the ministry confirmed the oil slick incident. “Several spills can also move with the currents and accumulate in favourable gyre [rotating ocean current] areas. Then with time, heat and winds, they evaporate into the air and give off fuel-like odours.
“Oil doesn't mix with water. It continues to float until it is removed or evaporate with time.”
Prashant Kumar, professor of air quality and health at the University of Surrey in the UK, said air pollution – and the smells that it brings with it – can travel over long distances.
“The smell can travel tens of kilometres,” he said, in comments also made before the ministry's statement on Friday. “It depends on the meteorological conditions, it depends on the wind speed and the wind direction. You can easily have the longer-range transport of pollutants from one place to another.”
When it comes to reducing the effects of oil spills, containment is key because “prevention is better than cure”, Prof John Burt, director of NYU Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Arabian Centre for Climate and Environmental Sciences, said after it was confirmed that the smell was caused by an oil spill.
“If floating booms can be put out to contain the spill and collect it before it reaches a coastline, this would be the ideal scenario,” he added.
“Remediation is timely, cost intensive, and full return to normal can take years in the event that a spill reaches a coastline.”
He said that the Gulf War of 1990-91 offered lessons on the potential impacts of oil spills in the region. Then, millions of barrels of oil were released in the northern Arabian Gulf.
“Because oil is buoyant and floats, there were minimal impacts on subtidal habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass beds at that time,” he said. “And as it was volatising to the atmosphere as it drifted down the Gulf, the oil slick back then only made it as far south as Qatar before dispersing fully.
“That said, where it reached coastlines in the northern Gulf, particularly around Kuwait and northern Saudi Arabia, it caused considerable impacts in the intertidal zones.”
In these areas, Prof Burt said, tar mats formed in the sands of beaches that persisted for years, and there were significant impacts in mangrove areas and on mudflats where many birds feed.
