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28 March 2024

Sharjah’s beached ships turn tourist attraction

Published
By Rafat Khalaf

Sharjah has a new tourist attraction. Like two giant beached whales the Lady Rana and the Dolphin are drawing hundreds of visitors everyday as they sit on the shores of the emirate.

The two ships both ran aground over 10 days ago and while they wait to return to the high seas, curious onlookers are thronging the site.

In fact the Sharjah police are now manning the beach to ensure those looking for a photo op do not get too close to the vessels – that sit a few metres apart from each other.

Abdul Satar Ali Bakhait, the Egyptian owner of the Lady Rana, who was on site when we visited, supervising repairs said, “Lady Rana  is a cargo ship and ran aground on Sharjah beach after being battered by strong winds. The ship had just dropped off a load of cement from Iraq to Iran and we were on course for India when the bad weather forced us to change direction. The Lady Rana collided with rocks amid swells of up to 10ft.”

An officer on  board the Dolphin, who asked not to be named said the Dolphin belongs to a British company and was transporting oil and petroleum.

He added the Dolphin was crashed against rocks which forced it aground.