Oil spills from Iran’s tanker attacks wash up on UAE beaches

{"text":[[{"start":11.72,"text":"Oil spills from tankers Iran attacked around the Strait of Hormuz are reaching the shoreline of the United Arab Emirates, leaving beaches stained with black slicks and threatening turtles and dolphins."}],[{"start":22.64,"text":"The first spill to hit the UAE coast left dark waters lapping the shore in one municipality and forced the closure of beaches in three emirates this weekend."}],[{"start":32.04,"text":"The pollution comes as the UAE seeks to project an image of “business as usual” and tempt tourists back to the Middle East’s most popular visitor destination, Dubai, whose beaches have had no immediate impact from the spills."}],[{"start":44.64,"text":"More than 100 vessels have been struck since the conflict began. Iran has stepped up attacks in the past month as it tries to assert control over the crucial waterway amid White House threats of renewed strikes ahead of US midterm elections next week."}],[{"start":58.76,"text":"Marine monitor Windward recorded 12 spills between July and September, with the largest spreading over a 2,000km area off the coast of Oman. One large oil slick — 13km by 20km — was seen on September 29 close to Omani exclave Musandam, within tens of kilometres of a desalination plant. A second spill came near a desalination facility in the UAE."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":83.38,"text":"The arid Gulf region relies on coastal desalination plants to produce fresh water. These facilities suck in seawater, and the delicate membranes they use to remove the salt could be damaged by oily water, but there is no evidence to suggest contamination has occurred."}],[{"start":98.8,"text":"Oil spills also have serious impacts on creatures such as seabirds as well as dolphins and sea snakes that rise to the water’s surface to breathe."}],[{"start":107.32,"text":"Marine scientist Henrik Stahl said he had recently seen an uptick of small oil spills near Sharjah Marine Science Research Centre where he works, which is on the east coast of the UAE and faces the Gulf of Oman, to the south of Hormuz. Research has not confirmed any impacts, but the centre will soon start monitoring for hydrocarbons in the water."}],[{"start":127.56,"text":"“You have quite a unique ecosystem here, very rich when it comes to turtles, that’s one of the species that can be directly impacted,” Stahl said."}],[{"start":134.76,"text":"UAE residents first became aware of the spill when strange smells started to waft into urban areas, with some complaints on social media from as far south as Dubai."}],[{"start":145.2,"text":"The UAE’s environment ministry said it was working on cleaning up the spill and asked fishermen to avoid the areas affected."}],[{"start":152.52,"text":"Authorities have not named the leaking tanker, but marine security experts have said the vessel is the Chinese-owned supertanker Gem No. 2, which was hit north of Dubai off Sharjah more than two weeks ago."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":165.48,"text":"Satellite imagery shows the oil slick has lengthened. Images published by Umm al Quwain municipality show dark water lapping the shore of its closed beaches. The emirate’s coast is home to mangroves which provide an important habitat for marine life."}],[{"start":179.6,"text":"“We can see the oil spill and also smell it,” a hotel employee in Umm al Quwain said. “We can see black substance.” However, “it seems to be improving”, they added, “because we see people on the beach and in the sea.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":194.12,"text":"Local authorities have also closed beaches in Ras Al Khaimah, home to a mammoth Wynn resort and casino development. Windward said its satellite analysis detected “new dark streaks that appear consistent with oil” there on Monday. Sharjah has also closed beaches."}],[{"start":210.32,"text":"Before the war about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the strait. Traffic is continuing to pass under US air cover, but it is a fraction of its prewar levels. At least five merchant ships have sunk, according to Windward, including two Iranian tankers hit by US strikes, and at least seven vessels were abandoned after being hit."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":231.08,"text":"The latest ship to sink, a UAE-owned bulk cargo ship called Cape Dao, was adrift for several weeks. The Singaporean container ship GFS Pride also sank earlier this month, leaving containers and debris strewn across the water off Oman’s Musandam Peninsula."}],[{"start":247.68,"text":"In a circular sent out to mariners on Wednesday, the US Navy warned all “neutral ships” to avoid the strait “due to the current geopolitical situation” and a step-up in enforcement action against Iranian shipping, which is subject to a US blockade."}],[{"start":267.44,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793346972_7068.mp3"}