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International meet on oil pollution opens

AL AIN - The Arabian Gulf is an integrated ecological system with coasts that extended for nearly 3.460 kilometres in seven countries, water that cover 24.000 square kilometres, considered to be among the richest seawaters in the world and 80 per cent of the world's oil production is shipped through it, Dr Hadif bin Johan Al Dahiri, Vice Chancellor of UAE University, said yesterday at the opening session of the International Conference on Oil Pollution and its Environmental Impact in the Arabian Gulf Region.

Therefore, this region is considered one of the coastal regions most susceptible to oil pollution, particularly in view of the flourishing oil industries, from exploration, drilling, extraction to transportation by all means, refining and various petrochemical industries.

Dr Hadif reiterated that the conference is "a miniature of the local, regional and international cooperation in the prevention and response to oil pollution".

He also enumerated the efforts undertaken by the UAE to protect the sea environment since the establishment of the Marine Environment Protection Committee in 1973, followed by a chain of national, regional and international initiatives in the form of environment protection legislations, organisations and agencies.

More than 40 scientists and experts from the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Malta, India and Arab countries are presenting papers throughout the forum that deal with various topics like the characterisation of oil spills besides combating, prevention and treatment of oil pollution, utilisation of remote sensing and other analytical methods in monitoring oil spills and pollutants.

The three-day conference is being organised by the Faculty of Sciences in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering. Prof. Joseph Hill, Dean of the Faculty of Science, also addressed the opening session.

• UAE