Fujairah authorities urged to get tough on ship owners

People in Fujairah are urging the authorities to get tough on ship owners following an oil spill off the coast.

Abbas Khalid, a fisherman, told 7DAYS that the pollution affected shores off Al Faqeet in Dibba on Saturday and added that it stretched for nearly 1,500m.

“A lot of oil appeared at the sea about 3.30pm,” he said.

“It covered a big area of the shore.” Authorities at Dibba Municipality said they removed the oil after getting complaints from fishermen and beach goers.

Khalid said oil spills are a serious risk to marine life.

“Authorities should enforce the laws so as to prevent ships and other people from dumping oil wastes in the sea to protect marine life,” he added.

Another resident of Dibba, Mohsen Hamid, said some ships dump petroleum products in the sea.

“The oil that appeared on the sea shores over the weekend is waste that was dumped in the sea by ships,” he said, adding that stringent measures are needed to control such harmful practices in UAE waters.

Municipality officials said there are laws prohibiting fishermen, ships and other residents from dumping waste in the sea but some people violate the laws.

They added that they they have increased patrol and will impose hefty penalties on those caught violating marine laws.

ismail@7days.ae