Irresponsible oil tanker owners are taking advantage of a recent oil slick to illegally wash out their vessels in UAE waters, a senior Dubai Municipality official said on Wednesday.
“The tanker Atlantic Blue was caught dumping oil residue off Port Rashid last Thursday and its owner has been fined Dh150,000 ($41,000) for violating local environment protection laws as well as international and regional treaties,” said Redha Hassan Salman, head of the municipality's Environmental Protection and Safety Section, quoted by the Gulf News.
“But many other ships are also flouting the law regardless of the environmental impact,” he added.
"The country's territorial waters are subject to a lot of negative practices by some vessels," he said. "This calls for urgent action on the part of the concerned bodies such as the Coast Guard. There should be strict monitoring and tough action against these types of violations."
He urged shipping agents to instruct owners of vessels and tankers to respect international and regional treaties on environmental protection, according to the paper.
"We will spare no efforts in implementing these treaties and imposing hefty fines against violators...for the damage," he said -- Albawba.com
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