Experts warn of effects of slick as oil seen on UAE beach

Dubai: An oil slick in the Gulf has reached a beach in the United Arab Emirates, AFP video showed on Tuesday, with experts warning it could threaten desalination plants as it spreads.

UAE authorities last Friday said they had "detected a tanker oil spill affecting Umm Al Quwain's beaches", referring to an emirate north of Dubai.

By Tuesday morning, footage shot by AFP showed workers cleaning up oil on the emirate's beaches, which had earlier been shut by authorities along with other beaches in the country.

Satellite images taken on October 21 and analysed by AFP show what appears to be a slick of about 180 square kilometres in that area.

Three days later images showed it had quadrupled in size to about 750 sq km.

Experts from NGOs including Dutch peace group PAX said the tanker GEM NO.2 spilled oil after it was attacked on October 9.

They warned the slick could affect operations at UAE desalination plants, crucial for supplying water to the Gulf country.

"Satellite imagery from October 26 shows oil slicks a few hundred metres away from the intake of the Naqaa desalination plant. It remains unclear to what extent this will affect the process at the plant itself," said Wim Zwijnenburg from PAX.

Greenpeace researcher Insaf Benzaki said: "As the spill moves closer to the beaches, the priority is to intensify containment and cleanup operations to minimise the risk of harm to natural habitats and coastal communities."

"The rapid response by UAE authorities and the intensive efforts underway to contain and clean up the oil spill are critical to limiting its potential impacts," she added.

The British maritime security agency UKMTO reported on October 9 that a vessel had been hit by a projectile off the UAE coast, causing a fire that was later brought under control.

Maritime security company Vanguard identified the vessel as the oil tanker GEM NO.2, sailing under a Panamanian flag.

Owned by Taiwan's Global Energy Maritime, the ship loaded two million barrels of oil in early March from a Saudi port.