UAE closes Umm Al Quwain beaches after tanker oil spill

The United Arab Emirates said on Friday that oil from a tanker had reached beaches in Umm Al Quwain, prompting the temporary closure of all beaches and coastal areas in the emirate. Teams had begun containing the spill and cleaning affected areas, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said. BBC Verify reported that it had verified footage showing oil washing ashore; AFP journalists said police were restricting access to the Umm Al Quwain area.

Neighbouring Sharjah also temporarily closed Al Hamriyah Beach. Its government described that decision as a precaution to prevent pollution reaching the coast, not a report that oil had washed up there. The Umm Al Quwain closures were to remain in place until technical teams completed their assessments and decided what was needed to protect the public and marine environment.

Satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify showed a slick extending more than 35 kilometres from a vessel by 21 October. Researchers cited by Reuters and AFP put its surface area at about 160 and 190 square kilometres respectively. Those estimates do not show how much oil has leaked: an analyst consulted by AFP said the images could not establish whether the slick was thick crude oil or a thin sheen of lighter oil.

The UAE ministry did not name the tanker. BBC Verify identified the vessel in the imagery as *Gem No. 2* from its position and dimensions. Reuters compared its size, deck layout and scorch marks with ship records and other images; AFP described the identification as likely. A maritime alert recorded a report that a vessel had been hit by an unknown projectile off the UAE coast on 9 October, causing a fire that was subsequently extinguished. Maritime security firm Vanguard identified that vessel as *Gem No. 2*. Who fired the projectile, and when or why the later visible leak began, have not been established.

The spill adds an environmental hazard to Gulf shipping already contending with attacks and costly workarounds. An Iranian claim about a ship taking an unauthorised route should not be assumed to explain the strike on *Gem No. 2*: Seatrade Maritime reported that the Revolutionary Guards’ claim named a different vessel, *NV Sunshine*, whose operator denies it was attacked.

BBC Verify said the slick extended towards the Siniyah and Khor Al Beidah islands, an area with seagrass, corals and saltmarshes. Its proximity raises concern, but does not establish damage to those habitats. The extent of the coastal pollution and the results of the clean-up remain to be assessed.