ATOR announced the closure of beaches in two emirates of the UAE due to oil spill

In the UAE, the beaches in the emirate of Umm al-Kuwain and on the beach of Al-Hamriya in Sharjah were closed after the oil spill from the GEM2 tanker, the press service of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) told RBC.

Umm el-Quwain is in low demand among Russian tourists: the emirate accounts for an average of 0.3-0.5% of the total volume of tours sold in the UAE for autumn. Tour operators offer vacations in six to eight hotels in the budget and medium segments. There are no hotels on Al Hamriyah Beach in Sharjah.

At the moment, tour operators-members of ATOR are engaged in the relocation of tourists from the hotels of the emirate of Umm el-Quwain to hotels in neighboring Emirates, where swimming is possible. This, however, is a very small number of customers, the report said.

According to ATOR, the oil spill did not affect the demand for holidays in the UAE among Russians. Tour operators continue to cooperate with the authorities and monitor the situation.

“The UAE special services immediately began operations to contain the spread of the oil spill, install booms, clean up and restore contaminated coastal areas. The situation is under the control of the relevant departments, and they will continue to inform tour operators about the progress of work and the timing of the opening of beaches, the press service added.

GEM NO.2 is a crude oil tanker built in 2017 by JMU (Tokyo, Japan), flying the flag of Panama. Its gross capacity is 156,853 tons.

The oil spill occurred after the attack on the tanker GEM NO.2 near the Strait of Hormuz between 9 and 10 October. According to the BBC, which examined satellite images, the oil spill spread more than 35 km from the site of the damage to the ship.

UAE authorities have begun localizing the spill to limit its environmental impact. However, according to Steve Widdicombe, director of the Sharjah Center for Marine Scientific Research, damage to the ecosystem is inevitable. At the same time, it is not yet possible to assess its scale.

The oil spill is moving towards the Siniya and Khor al-Beida islands. The area is home to coral reefs, seagrass thickets and salt marshes, as well as green turtles and the endangered Halawi stingray. According to the BBC, oil spills can lead to the death of marine animals and disrupt their ability to reproduce.