Shipwreck is leaking oil, fishermen claim
The wreck of a cargo ship is leaking diesel into Gulf fishing waters The wreck of a cargo ship is leaking diesel into Gulf fishing waters, despite ministry assurances that it poses no threat to marine life, fishermen say."We have seen the spill with our own eyes after the weather was rough for a few days," said one fisherman, pointing to a rainbow sheen on the surface of the water."It could be that the strong winds caused another leakage on the ship. What we are doing is to avoid those places where the spill is."The White Whale was carrying 440 tonnes of diesel when it sank about 16 kilometres off the Umm Al Qaiwain coast on October 25 last year.Nine crew members were arrested and referred to Public Prosecution on charges of overloading the vessel.The ship now lies about 30 metres below the surface, 11 nautical miles off the coast.Officials at the Ministry of Environment and Water have issued a second assurance that the White Whale is secure."The technical team formed to follow up the sunken ship off the coast of UAQ is regularly monitoring the situation and submitting periodic reports to the ministry," said Sultan Alwan, the assistant undersecretary. ...
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