Captain to be grilled over UAE ship collision

Fujairah - The polluted beaches would need up to Dh14million to be cleaned up.

The Fujairah Misdemeanour Court has ordered interrogation of one of the two foreign captains involved in a two-ship collision that caused massive oil spill and polluted the beaches of Fujairah and Kalba city in the Oman Gulf. The polluted beaches would need up to Dh14million to be cleaned up.
The court has also ordered hearing of the eye-witnesses who were staying close to the port when the two ships rammed into each other back in October last year.
Court records show that the two ships collided off Fujairah seas following which huge amounts of diesel spilled into the waters and spread to the beaches of Fujairah and Kalba - extending to a total area of 3km along the shores. The leakage has also led to an obnoxious odour and affected fishing activities.
The two ships have been seized until the end of probe, while the captains were referred to court for legal action.
The defence lawyer requested the court to release the ship of her client as the forensic report has already been submitted.
“The seizure order has caused a big loss to my client,” she told the court, which rejected her request and upheld the custody ruling.
The court ordered adjournment of the case to a later date for more hearing sessions.

• Fujairah