Dibba beaches hit again by oil pollution

A beach resort area in the eastern port of Dibba has again been hit by oil pollution as ships cleaning their tanks appear to be still violating local laws and dumping oil sludge into the water.

The slick has been spotted in the water off Fakeet tourism area, prompting authorities to go on alert to deal with a possible pollution of the beach.

The Sharjah-based Arabic language daily, which reported the slick, published a picture showing some cliffs in the area have already been hit by the pollution. It said the slick was detected on Sunday afternoon.

“We received a report that an oil slick has been seen in Fakeet area…we are now on alert in case the slick reaches the beach,” said Hassan Salim Al Yamahi, director general of Dibba Municipality.

He said the slick was still in the water but is being pushed by strong currents towards the beach, adding that natural reserves in the area are safe.

Yamahi did not mention the source of that slick but Dibba, just north of Fujeirah, and other areas on the eastern UAE coast have been a victim of persistent pollution incidents caused by sludge-dumping by tankers.

Dibba is located just outside the strategic Hormuz Strait, the Gulf’s only gateway through which more than 20 per cent of the world’s oil exports pass.

The UAE and other Gulf states have enacted laws banning throwing waste and oil sludge into the water by the hundreds of tankers playing the region. But many vessels have been reported to be still violating that ban.

Sludge-dumping, oil pipeline and terminal leakages, and tanker accidents have turned the Gulf into the most polluted area in the world.

Fujeirah, the only UAE emirate outside Hormuz, has taken advantage of its location to become a major depot for supplying tankers with fuel.

Hundreds of oil tankers and other vessels pass through Hormuz daily to transport crude, gas and other goods from and to the region.

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