🔻Following an oil leak, the coast of Umm al-Quwain in the UAE was shut down

🔻Following an oil leak, the coast of Umm al-Quwain in the UAE was shut down

As tensions in the region rise and ships are targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates announced on Friday an oil leak from a tanker off its coast.

The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, in a statement, said that officials were “made aware of an oil leak from a tanker that has affected the coasts of Umm al-Quwain in the north of Dubai.”

The ministry added that “teams immediately began containment, isolation, cleanup, and environmental restoration operations... in order to limit environmental impacts, and the beaches of this emirate have been closed.”

In recent days, many residents of northern areas of the country, including residents of northern parts of Dubai, have reported smelling oil on social media.

In the past weeks, reports have been published about repeated attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz. On October 9, the UK Maritime Security Agency reported that a ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates was hit by a projectile, which caused a fire; the fire was later brought under control.