Gem No. 2 Oil Spill Closes UAE Beaches

The UAE's Ministry of Climate Change and Environment confirmed on 23 October 2026 that oil had reached beaches along Umm Al Quwain, an emirate north of Dubai. The coastline was closed. Teams began containment and cleanup.

Residents across the northern UAE had reported oil-like odours in the days before the announcement. Windward AI first detected the slick about 16 nautical miles off Umm Al Quwain. Satellite imagery shows it spread across more than 22 miles and covers over 60 square miles.

The UAE has not officially named the source. Maritime analysts and reports link the spill to the VLCC Gem No. 2, a 302,783-dwt Taiwanese-owned, Panama-registered tanker struck on 9 October about 13 nautical miles west of the Al Jazeera area off the UAE coast. A fire broke out and was brought under control. The tanker's current status has not been publicly confirmed.

The strike on the Gem No. 2 came during a sustained Iranian campaign against shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's IRGC has recorded 40 enforcement actions since US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, targeting vessels it says cross a unilateral exclusion zone near the Omani coast. US Central Command has denied the presence of mines in the strait. UKMTO's weekly summary listed 119 vessels damaged so far this year and 77 crew injured or killed since July.

Brent crude was trading around $115 a barrel on 23 October. The ministry said the odours posed no health risk and would keep the beaches closed until technical teams complete their assessment.

Iran shifted its attack tactics in early October, hitting more ships per day and extending strikes into the Gulf of Oman. The Gem No. 2 strike fell in the period following that change, during which Iran struck six ships in a single day on 13 October, a war record.