Fears of further diesel spill from the cargo vessel, which sank off the Umm Al Quwain coast on Saturday, are rife especially due to the prevailing conditions, particularly sea currents, wind speed and temperature.
According to a senior environment official, the more intense the conditions are, the faster the diesel spread and ship break-up could be.
“It took the submarines and divers around nine hours to stop the diesel leak and block the tanker’s notches. However, the job is not easy as the ship is 35 metres under the sea, which means more pressure,” Dr Mariam Al Shenasi, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment and Water, told Khaleej Times on Friday.
“As the diesel leak is still on, though in smaller amounts than those reported in the last two days, more spill is likely because of the fast winds and changing sea currents,” she added, noting that the viscosity of the diesel determines its speed of spreading.
Specialists and divers from the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA), UAE Coast Guard, Umm Al Quwain Police, National Transport Authority, and Umm Al Quwain Municipality, met on Friday to follow up the rescuing of the ship.
The ministry, in collaboration with specialised teams, is working on a three-phase plan. “We have finished Phase One in which the situation has been assessed, and the leak contained. The sinking tanker with the remaining diesel shall then be lifted to a safe floating station in Phase Two while the ship will be safely floated in Phase Three.”
Meanwhile, an air and sea survey is underway as the diesel spill has spread to over a two-mile area, following the vessel’s sinking on Saturday 11 nautical miles off the Umm Al Quwain coast, apparently due to the severe northern winds.
The nine-member ship crew, who escaped in a lifeboat, was rescued by a fishermen’s boat from Ras Al Khaimah passing by the area.
Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water, was quoted as saying that a ministry technical team is analysing the information and data collected to identify the cause of the accident, and decide on the best way to contain the environmental impact, safely salvage the ship and offload its cargo.
An official at the Umm Al Quwain Municipality said they are working hard with a big team to stop the leakage and retrieve the vessel.
“Despite the large quantity of diesel in the ship, we will make sure everything is controlled, and the whole coast is clean and the fish is safe and poison-free.”
Hussain Al Hajiri, Head of the Fishermen Society in Umm Al Quwain, said they are closely following the situation. “We are in direct contact with the fishermen there, and shall alert them in case of more leakage.”
Urging the bodies concerned to quickly salvage the vessel, Al Hajiri said everybody will be affected, particularly those involved in fishing, unless the leak is contained. “The vessel has over 450 tonnes of diesel. If it spills, it may cover the whole coast, leading to disastrous pollution which will be hard to be contained.”
Khalid M., a fisherman, said the fish market in Umm Al Quwain has been badly hit by the leak. “The mishap has everybody talking, and people are afraid to buy fish though the diesel spill is only small and away from the coast.” By Ahmed Shaaban, Khaleej Times
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