Two sunken dhows recovered in Dubai Creek

Dubai - Each dhow weighed somewhere around 85-100 tonnes

As part of the 'Clean Up the World' campaign, the Dubai Municipality removed two submerged dhows from Dubai Creek on Monday.
In an effort to promote social responsibility and preserve the environment, the specialised cleaning section of the waste management team removed the dhows that weighed around 85 to 100 tonnes.
Yaqub Al Ali, head of the specialised cleaning section at the waste management department, said both dhows that carried commercial goods had caught fire before settling in the deep end of Dubai Creek.
"The incident happened during the beginning of the year. Both ships carried flammable products and we decided to remove them using the help of private companies," said Al Ali.
"We couldn't remove them earlier as we awaited legal approvals. It is not easy to remove two ships of that size from the water," he noted.
Taking more than two days to complete the process, Al Ali said the team is still working on full cleansing of the water.
"Parts and little pieces kept breaking and falling from the vessels back to the water."
Al Ali noted that the initiative came in line with the Clean Up The World campaign that sees participation of the private sector and volunteers from the public.
The campaign attracts thousands of volunteers participating each year and aims to raise awareness on social responsibility of cleaning up the environment.
- sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

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