Oil spill washes up on UAE beaches after tanker strike
Satellite images show oil spreading for miles along the coastline, threatening local marine wildlife
Oil spill reaches UAE shores after tanker attack
An oil spill from a tanker attacked near the Strait of Hormuz is moving along the coastline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), prompting the closure of some beaches and coastal stretches.
Satellite images from Monday show the early stages of the spill from a vessel matching the position and size of Gem No.2, which was damaged between 9 and 10 October during a record wave of vessel strikes by Iran.
UAE authorities said on Thursday that the incident is affecting beaches near the northern city of Umm Al Quwain, and verified video from Friday shows oil washing ashore and turning the water black.
The UAE's Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said on Thursday that it "immediately began containment" to "limit environmental impacts".
Prof Steve Widdicombe, director of Sharjah Marine Science Research Centre in the UAE, told BBC Verify it was "inevitable that there will be an impact", though researchers warn it is still too early to judge the scale of the damage.
At first, a much smaller oil leak could be seen coming from the ship on 19 October.
But the slick appears to have spread quickly over two days, according to radar satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify and intelligence firm MAIAR.
Oil spills can cause immediate deaths of marine animals and other organisms, for instance by physically trapping turtles, smothering seabird feathers or damaging fish gills.
They can also lead to longer-term harm, Prof Widdicombe said, if species stay exposed to toxic compounds from the oil that could affect their ability to reproduce.
Researchers have warned that the environmental impact at this stage is highly uncertain, since it depends on factors such as the amount and type of oil spilled, how fast it evaporates or breaks down, and how effective the clean-up operation is.
However, the spill does extend toward Siniyah and Khor Al Beidah islands, a globally recognised Key Biodiversity Area with habitats including corals, seagrasses and saltmarshes, as well as species such as green turtles and the critically endangered Halavi guitarfish.
The spill’s closeness to this area is the "most concerning environmental angle", according to Eoghan Darbyshire, a scientist at the Conflict and Environment Observatory.
BBC Verify analysis of the ship’s dimensions and location indicates they match a crude oil tanker called Gem No.2.
Maritime intelligence firm Vanguard said the Panama-flagged tanker was "struck by an unknown projectile" on 9 October, just north of the town of Al Jazeera Al Hamra, sparking a fire on board that was later put out.
Verified footage first posted on social media on 10 October showed the crew running across the deck and putting on lifejackets as a large cloud of black smoke rose above the ship.
Iranian state media shared footage of a ship matching Gem No.2 that appeared to show the vessel on fire, with burning oil spilling into the sea.
State media said the ship had been trying to leave the Strait of Hormuz via an "unauthorized and dangerous route".
All 22 Indian crew members were rescued, the Indian consulate in Dubai said on 11 October.
Gem No.2 is one of a record number of ships that reported being attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz at the start of October.
Security experts told BBC Verify this was part of an Iranian effort to assert greater control over the strait, in response to the US military successfully escorting more vessels through the vital shipping lane.
Tankers and other commercial vessels have come under attack from both Iranian and US forces in and around the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict between the two countries.
Another major oil slick washed up on the shores of Iran's Qeshm Island in August, which experts said threatened wildlife, protected ecosystems and fishing communities.