Sara-Lise Haith from Deeper Blue posted this report on 19 February 2008:The oil spill which happened in the earlier hours of today has caused havoc for the tourism industry of Fujairah and Sharjah, on the east coast areas of the United Arab Emirates.
Photos sent to Deeperblue.net today from a dive centre on the East Coast of Sharjah, represent extreme damage to marine life, beaches and the sun seeking tourists of what is normally a golden sandy beach have been driven away.
Dive centres are still reporting that no assistance has been offered to finance the cleanup of these areas and hotels, such as the Le Meridien Al Aqah, are financing their own cleanups in order to rid the beaches of the mess as soon as possible.
No company has claimed ownership or fault to the damage and the Ministry of Environment is allegedly shrugging their shoulders and not offering any solutions. A report on Zawya.com says that a leak occurred two days ago off the Abu Dhabi coast but it was announced that no pollution had occurred.
Original Post: Deeper Blue.
Images: Oil on beaches (courtesy of Deeper Blue).
Further information on the oil spill and the outrage can be found at these links:
Gulf News: ‘Hotels Seek Strict Action on Oil Spill’, 21 February 2008.
7 Days: ‘Clean-up Operation Under way After Beach Devastated by Oil Slick’, 21 February 2008.
Fujairah in Focus, Further Oil Spillages Call for Urgent Action, March 2008.
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