UAE Confirms Approaching Oil Spill as Iran Claims Continued Attacks
The UAE confirmed earlier reports of a large and spreading oil spill along the Persian Gulf side of the Khor Al Beidah peninsula while Iran continues to claim tanker strikes as it enforces rules for the Strait of Hormuz. It comes as there appears to be a continuing escalation, or propaganda effort, which is being linked to the Israeli legislative elections on October 27 and the U.S. midterm election on November 3.
The slick had first been spotted earlier in the week, likely coming from one of the tankers Iran struck at the beginning of the month. The UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment was forced to acknowledge the slick as it came ashore along much of the peninsula, and there were widespread reports of a strong odor. The ministry said the odors pose no health risk, but it has ordered the Umm Al Quwain beaches closed. It also warned fishermen to stay away from the affected areas.
It said the coastal areas would remain closed until technical teams complete an assessment. Furthermore, it said efforts were also underway for containment, cordoning, cleanup, and remediation.
Windward AI had detected the spill on Tuesday, saying they believed it was coming from one of the VLCCs, which was about 16 miles off Umm Al Quwain. Reports said the slick has spread more than 22 miles and, based on satellite imagery, is covering an area of more than 60 square miles.
UAE officials have not commented on the source of the spill, but several reports are linking it to the Taiwanese VLCC Gem No. 2 (302,783 dwt), which was struck on October 9. The VLCC, which is registered in Panama, was 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera when it was struck.
At the same time, Iran continues to make broad claims about additional vessel strikes, which are not being independently verified. Yesterday, it claimed to have hit four vessels that were involved in ship-to-ship transfers as part of the shuttle service started by the Gulf states to get oil out to the larger crude oil tankers that are not entering the Gulf. Iran also claimed three vessels were disabled after they struck mines, while U.S. Central Command asserts there are no mines in the Strait.
During the week, Iran’s so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority released data saying that Iranian forces had taken 40 enforcement actions. It raised the count to 122 non-compliant vessels that would be targeted if they cross the Strait, while saying negotiations were ongoing with an additional 19 ships to prevent their listing or to secure removal. It said another 30 might be added due to non-response to its notice, while two had agreed to fulfill obligations for removal.
Five attacks confirmed this week by UKMTO before the additional report received today in the Strait of Hormuz (UKMTO)
Donald Trump responded to the assertions, writing on social media, “Iran is doing everything they can to drive up the price of oil prior to the U.S. midterm election. They are even making up fake hits, mines, and everything else, because more Oil is coming through the Hormuz Strait now than it did even prior to the beginning of the conflict.”
Oil markets, however, continue to be jittery, with the benchmark Brent crude price hovering around $115 a barrel on Friday. US West Texas Intermediate also jumped above $100 a barrel. Analysts noted oil prices are now at their highest since early May.
UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that it received details about an attack on Thursday. It said a tanker reported being struck approximately 7 nautical miles northeast of Limah, Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz. This tanker, it said, was able to continue its voyage.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
The weekly summary report from UKMTO listed five incidents spread broadly across the Persian Gulf and the Strait prior to today’s report. It said three vessels had required assistance this week and that since July there had been 79 projectile strikes, of which 57 were on vessels transiting the southern route through the Strait. It puts the tally at 119 vessels reporting damage year to date and 77 crew injured or killed.
UKMTO calculates there were 114 outbound transits in the past seven days, which was down, as well as 127 inbound. It tracks a daily average of between 25 and 35 vessels recently.
