Satellite images show a slick extending more than 35km from a damaged tanker, and BBC-verified footage shows oil reaching shore. UAE authorities say beaches near Umm Al Quwain are affected.
Oil from a tanker damaged near the Strait of Hormuz has washed onto the United Arab Emirates coastline, forcing some beaches and coastal areas to close, the BBC reported on 23 October.
BBC Verify’s analysis found that the location and dimensions of the ship at the spill’s source matched the crude-oil tanker Gem No.2. Maritime intelligence firm Vanguard reported that an unknown projectile hit the tanker on 9 October, north of Al Jazeera Al Hamra. The strike caused a fire that was later extinguished.
Satellite images initially showed a much smaller leak emerging from the ship on Monday, 19 October. By Wednesday, the slick extended more than 35km (22 miles) from the tanker. Radar satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify and intelligence firm MAIAR indicated that the oil had spread rapidly over those two days.
UAE authorities said on Thursday, 22 October, that beaches near the northern city of Umm Al Quwain were affected. Video from Friday verified by the BBC showed oil washing ashore and turning the water black.
The spill extends towards Siniyah and Khor Al Beidah islands, a globally recognised Key Biodiversity Area—an area important for wildlife. Its habitats include corals, seagrasses and saltmarshes. Species found there include green turtles and the critically endangered Halavi guitarfish. The slick’s proximity raises concern, but does not establish ecological damage to those habitats.
Oil can kill marine animals by trapping turtles, coating seabirds' feathers or damaging fish gills. Prof Steve Widdicombe, director of Sharjah Marine Science Research Centre in the UAE, told BBC Verify that prolonged exposure to toxic compounds in oil could also affect animals' ability to reproduce.
The NIH–NASA competition seeks better measurements in laboratory drug-safety models, with submissions scheduled to open on 15 December 2026.
2 min
Widdicombe said an impact was inevitable, but researchers cautioned that it was too soon to assess the extent of the damage. The environmental effects depend on the volume and type of oil released, how quickly it evaporates or breaks down, and how effective the clean-up operation is.
The UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment said on Thursday that it had immediately begun containment efforts to limit environmental impacts.
The programme brings together national laboratories, universities and industry partners, with plans for a sensor-equipped test bed and self-adjusting pilot production lines.
2 min
Previously seen only through its infrared heat, the dusty feature is visible in reflected starlight, allowing researchers to test a possible collision origin.
4 min
