UAE says oil leak from tanker has been stopped, pollution eases

CAIRO, Oct 30 (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates said on Friday that an oil leak from the Gem No. 2 tanker had been stopped, with no new leakage ​detected, as cleanup operations continued along coastlines affected by ‌the spill.

The oil slick is concentrated off the northern emirate of Umm Al Quwain and extends partly towards coastal areas in the neighbouring northern emirates of Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman and Sharjah, state news agency WAM reported, citing ‌the ​environment ministry. The density of marine pollution ⁠has declined markedly, it ⁠added.

Authorities have temporarily closed some beaches and coastal areas as a precaution, though the ministry said this did not necessarily mean pollution had been detected at every site affected by the ​closures.

Environment ministry teams are carrying out field surveys, monitoring and cleanup operations in coastal areas reached by the pollution, in ⁠coordination with federal and local authorities, ⁠WAM said.

Authorities have not said what caused the spill, ​but shipping sources have told Reuters the vessel was struck by ​a projectile on October 9, causing a fire that ‌was later extinguished.

Since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf shipping lanes have driven up security risks for maritime traffic and heightened fears over the conflict’s ⁠environmental fallout.

Technical teams have repaired damaged parts of the tanker, restored some operating systems and are assessing the integrity of its structure to ⁠determine the safest ‌way to handle it, WAM added, citing the ⁠energy ministry.

The UAE also said fish and food ​products ‌available in markets were safe for human consumption ​and that ⁠precautionary measures to protect drinking water supplies would not affect distribution.

The country relies heavily on desalination plants for drinking water, while much of its economy, including ports and industrial facilities, is concentrated along its coastline, making marine contamination particularly sensitive.

(Reporting by Enas Alashray;Editing by Ros ​Russell, Elaine Hardcastle)