Satellite images show that an oil spill from a damaged tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates has spread, prompting further beach closures and raising environmental concerns.
Images from the European Union’s Copernicus satellite network dated October 24 show the oil spill has expanded in recent days, approaching the coast of Umm Al Quwain in northern UAE, with dark oil layers spreading across the sea and along the shoreline.
A data compiled by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy show that October has recorded the highest number of attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waterways.
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The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment is conducting an environmental assessment as efforts continue to contain an oil leak from an offshore tanker, the UAE said on Friday.
The Ministry have said that all beaches and coastal areas around the city of Umm Al Quwain were temporarily closed, while authorities in neighbouring Sharjah shut access to Al Hamriyah Beach as a precaution.
Reuters
