The Ministry of Environment and Water has filed a legal case against the owner of the White Whale that was salvaged last week off the coast of Umm Al Quwain.
The ministry is seeking compensation for damage caused to the environment when diesel fuel leaked from the ship after it sank seven months ago.
Dr Mariam Al Shanassi, the interim undersecretary of the ministry, told Al Ittihad newspaper: "We have begun legal proceedings against the owner of the ship that was retrieved two days ago.
"The case has been filed at the relevant general prosecution and the ministry has put together a complete file on the ship and the environmental damages it caused as well as the ministry's demands."
Ms Al Shanassi said diesel leaking from the White Whale, which is owned by Arabian Coast Cargo Services of Ajman, caused environmental pollution covering three kilometres.
The ship was carrying 440 tonnes of diesel when it sank about 16 kilometres off the UAQ coast on October 25 last year. The five Indian crew members were rescued uninjured.
Local fishermen reported at the time seeing fuel leaking from the vessel into the Arabian Gulf and were worried how any pollution would impact fish stocks in the area.
The ship, which was lying about 30 metres below the surface, 11 nautical miles off the coast, was finally raised last Thursday after earlier attempts had been hindered by bad weather.
Engineers on board a larger ship called the Amlak used fixed ropes and wires to haul it out of the water, said Badr bin Mubarak, the managing director of Dubai Ship Building.
As part of the case, the ship's owner is required to pay all the costs to clean up the fuel and other damage caused to the environment
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.