Oil Slick Threatens Dubai after Iraqi Smuggling Ship SinksAn Iraqi sanctions-busting ship that sank off the Gulf emirate of Dubai was still leaking oil Sunday after more than 300 tonnes escaped from the 1,300 tonnes aboard, officials said.The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Federal Environmental Agency and local authorities were trying to control the leak from the vessel which went down Saturday 16 nautical miles off the container port and free zone of Jebel Ali. But oil was still escaping from the hull more than 24 hours after the Georgia-registered Zaineb sank, an environment official said. "The authorities are using biological methods to treat the oil slick," he said, adding that the sunken vessel was lying on the seabed at a depth of around 40 metres (130 feet) and 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Dubai. The vessel, owned by Iraq's Al-Amal shipping company, was heading for Pakistan several days ago when the US navy intercepted it as part of efforts to enforce UN sanctions on Baghdad, another official told AFP. The navy escorted the 36-year-old vessel to the spot where it sank, the official added. Electricity and water authorities are taking emergency measures to ensure that the plants are not contaminated, the official news agency WAM reported. |
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