Strong Naashi winds hit 5 RAK ports, fishermen stranded

Ras Al Khaimah - The strong winds and rough seas have also affected fishing boats on the coast

The strong "Naashi" winds have hit five seaports hard here in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.
Fishermen in the area said the most affected seaports are the Jeer and Shaam ports, 35km to the north of RAK city, along with the two Ghalila seaports, 25km to the north, the Jazirat Al Hamra fishing port, 10km to the northeast, and the RAK seaport.
"The strong winds and rough seas have also affected so many fishing boats on the coast; most of them now need urgent service," said Ali Saeed, a senior Emirati fisherman.
The edges of the marine dock have been worn out by the winds and waves, he added. "The 'Manzala', a small bridge that links the beach with marine buoys, has been badly affected."
"It is so weird for these seaports, only two years old, to be badly affected by the winds and waves this way," noted Rashid Musabih, another senior Emirati fisherman. "Such a terrible impact raises questions about the quality of these docks."
Winds, waves wreak havoc
Mohammed Abdullah, an Emirati Nukhaza 'captain' in Ghalila area, said all the 99 Emirati fishermen working there have moved their affected boats to a safer location inside the seaport, to avoid the currents caused by the powerful Naashi winds.
"We could not help moving our boats late on Thursday, but the situation has become worse today (Sunday), and if we hadn't moved and tightly tied them up, the loss would have been much more."
The RAK fishermen society has urged the concerned bodies to run an urgent service to the ports which have been badly affected by the rough seasonal winds associated with high waves.
Khalifa Al Muhairi, head of the RAK fishermen society, said they have urged for investigations to study the reasons behind the terrible impact of the Naashi winds on the five seaports.
"The company in charge of the construction must be held responsible and has to find a way out, as hundreds of fishermen using these ports have been badly affected."
The openings of the creeks of the five seaports, from where the Naashi winds start, have to be amended, he stressed.
Al Muhairi said they received a flow of complaints from the fishermen about the resulting damage. "We have referred all these complaints to the Environment Protection and Development Authority, RAK, for quick intervention and action."
"The fishermen have been left helpless, particularly as their boats were badly affected by the strong winds and high waves; they have not gone fishing since Thursday."
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Ras Al Khaimah