The UAE closed beaches after discovering an oil leak from a tanker in the
Persian Gulf near the Umm Al Quwain coast north of Dubai. The UAE Ministry of
Climate said it has temporarily closed all beaches and coastal areas in that
emirate; odors were reported in parts of neighboring Sharjah and Ajman but were
assessed as not posing a health risk. The ministry did not identify the vessel.
Technical teams are carrying out assessments, implementing marine-protection
measures and have begun plugging the leak, cleanup and restoration work.
