Two captains of commercial vessels are accused of causing an oil spill off the shores of Fujairah and Kalba.
The spill happened in October last year, after the vessels they captained collided off Fujairah waters, the emirate’s misdemeanours court heard.
The crash caused diesel to leak into the sea and left a three-kilometre oil slick along the Fujairah and Kalba coastline, the Arabic-language newspaper Emarat Al Youm reported.
The spill caused Dh14 million in damages and wreaked havoc on the country’s wildlife, it said.
Immediately afterwards, both vessels were impounded until investigations were completed. The captains were each been barred from entering Emirati territorial waters within 22km off the coast.
Fujairah Court of Misdemeanours adjourned the case until next week to bring in a translator to take down a statement from one of the accused men.
A separate oil spill in November last year forced some hotels in Al Aqah, Fujairah, to close their facilities. Black oil on rocks and stones was also seen on Dibba beach.
Three years ago, a spate of oil spills off the coast of Sharjah were blamed on tankers deliberately dumping crude-laden ballast water into the sea.
