UAE beach closures deepen shipping disruption from Hormuz tanker attacks

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UAE beach closures and shipping

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Oil spills from tanker attacks have forced beach closures in three UAE emirates, with darkened waters and pollution affecting coastal municipalities over the weekend.
Windward records 12 spills between July and September, including a 13km-by-20km slick near Oman's Musandam and incidents near desalination plants critical to Gulf water supply.
At least five merchant ships have sunk and seven abandoned amid ongoing attacks, prompting the U.S. Navy to warn neutral vessels to avoid the Hormuz Strait due to heightened risk.

Coastal pollution spreads after tanker strikes

As reported by the Financial Times, the first spill to reach the UAE coast leaves darkened waters along one municipality and forces beach closures in three emirates over the weekend.

Tehran has stepped up attacks on vessels in the past month as it seeks to assert control over the waterway amid White House threats of renewed strikes ahead of U.S. midterm elections next week. More than 100 vessels have been struck since the conflict began, while traffic continues under U.S. air cover at a fraction of prewar levels.

Marine monitor Windward records 12 spills between July and September, including the largest spread over a 2,000km area off the coast of Oman. One slick measuring 13km by 20km is seen on September 29 near Oman's Musandam exclave, within tens of kilometres of a desalination plant, and a second spill comes near a desalination facility in the UAE.

The UAE environment ministry says it is working on the cleanup and asks fishermen to avoid affected areas. Authorities have not named the leaking tanker, but marine security experts say the vessel is the Chinese-owned supertanker Gem No. 2, which is hit north of Dubai off Sharjah more than two weeks ago.

Risks for water supply, tourism and regional shipping

The arid Gulf region relies on coastal desalination plants for fresh water, and oily seawater could damage the membranes used to remove salt, although there is no evidence contamination has occurred. Oil spills also pose risks to seabirds, dolphins and sea snakes that surface to breathe, while marine scientist Henrik Stahl says he has recently seen an uptick in small spills near Sharjah Marine Science Research Centre and that monitoring for hydrocarbons will begin soon.

Residents first become aware of the spill as unusual smells drift into urban areas, with complaints on social media extending as far south as Dubai. Dubai's beaches have no immediate impact, but the pollution complicates the UAE's effort to project business as usual and attract tourists back to the region's busiest visitor market.

Local authorities also close beaches in Ras Al Khaimah, where a large Wynn resort and casino development is under way, and in Sharjah. Windward says satellite analysis detects new dark streaks consistent with oil in Ras Al Khaimah on Monday.

Disruption to regional shipping is also worsening. At least five merchant ships have sunk, according to Windward, including two Iranian tankers hit by U.S. strikes, at least seven vessels have been abandoned after attacks, and the latest ship to sink is the UAE-owned bulk cargo vessel Cape Dao after drifting for several weeks. The Singaporean container ship GFS Pride also sinks earlier this month, scattering containers and debris off Oman's Musandam Peninsula.

In a circular sent to mariners on Wednesday, the U.S. Navy warns all neutral ships to avoid the strait because of the current geopolitical situation and increased enforcement action against Iranian shipping under a U.S. blockade.

Conflict-driven tanker attacks were previously covered by our publication as a major driver of soaring oil shipping and insurance costs. We noted that risk premiums and rerouting away from chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea were pushing freight rates to record levels, raising fuel and consumer prices while delivering windfall earnings for tanker owners.

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