In the past months, even as many vessels in Gulf waters came under attack in the ongoing Middle East war, the UAE has reported a recent oil spill from a tanker off its coast.

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said in a statement that authorities ‘detected a tanker oil spill affecting Umm Al Quwain’s beaches’, adding all of the beaches in the emirates were closed.

It said ‘teams immediately began containment, cordoning, clean-up and remediation… to limit environmental impacts’.

The Strait of Hormuz, which remains at the heart of the US-Iran war, is subject to frequent attacks on ships in and around that territory. The UAE is just 40-50 nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz – very close to the waterway’s narrowest point.

The vessel, which was hit by a projectile off the UAE coast, was sailing under the Panamanian flag. The fire caused on account of the strike was subsequently brought under control. – editor@nrifocus.com