Ras Al Khaimah ordered all beaches in the emirate to close until further notice on Saturday, 24 October, following beach restrictions in neighbouring Umm Al Quwain and Sharjah after an offshore oil leak. According to a Reuters report published by gCaptain, the Ras Al Khaimah announcement did not specify a reason for the closures.
The emirate’s Public Services Department issued the notice through the Ras Al Khaimah Police General Headquarters. It came a day after the United Arab Emirates said work was under way to contain oil escaping from a tanker offshore. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment was carrying out an environmental assessment, but authorities had neither identified the tanker nor disclosed the cause of the spill.
In Umm Al Quwain, the ministry said beaches and coastal areas around the city would remain temporarily closed while technical teams assessed conditions. Those assessments were intended to establish the safety precautions and marine protection measures needed. Fishermen and other people using the sea were advised to stay away from affected areas and comply with official directions.
Sharjah also temporarily shut Al Hamriyah Beach as a precaution, according to the Sharjah Government Media Bureau. The beach lies on the UAE’s northern coast, close to the boundary with Umm Al Quwain. Residents reported unusual odours in parts of Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain. The environment ministry said the smells presented no health risk, although a strong odour persisted across Umm Al Quwain on Friday, the report said.
The incident comes amid heightened concern over the security of Gulf shipping and the environmental consequences of the US-Israeli war with Iran. Attacks on commercial ships in the region’s shipping lanes have added to those concerns, gCaptain reported. However, the report gave no confirmed explanation for this tanker leak, and the Ras Al Khaimah closure notice did not explicitly link its decision to the spill.