Ras Al Khaimah authorities said on Saturday that all beaches in the emirate would be closed until further notice, a day after an offshore oil leak prompted beach closures in neighbouring Umm Al Quwain and Sharjah, Reuters reported. The Public Services Department announced the closures in a statement shared by Ras Al Khaimah Police General Headquarters. No reason was given in that statement, Reuters said.

Source: Reuters, Oct 24, 2026

The United Arab Emirates said on Friday that efforts were under way to contain oil leaking from a tanker offshore, with its Ministry of Climate Change and Environment conducting an environmental assessment. All beaches and coastal areas around the city of Umm Al Quwain were temporarily closed until technical teams completed their assessments and determined the necessary safety and marine protection measures, the ministry said. The ministry also urged fishermen and other sea users to avoid affected areas and follow official instructions.

Source: Reuters via Northland News Radio, Oct 24, 2026

Authorities in Sharjah temporarily closed Al Hamriyah Beach, on the UAE's northern coast near the border with Umm Al Quwain, as a precaution, the Sharjah Government Media Bureau said, according to Reuters. Saturday's Ras Al Khaimah order therefore extends the beach closures along the northern coast to a third emirate, rather than replacing the earlier ones.

Source: Reuters, Oct 24, 2026

Awaaz Punjab reported the first closures on Friday, when beaches in Umm Al Quwain and Sharjah were shut and the slick was put at about 160 square kilometres: UAE Tanker Oil Spill: Beaches Closed in Umm Al Quwain and Sharjah as Cleanup Begins

Since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf shipping lanes have heightened concerns about maritime security and the conflict's environmental fallout, Reuters noted. Ras Al Khaimah, a northern UAE emirate known for its beaches and luxury resorts, is also home to Wynn Resorts' planned casino resort on Al Marjan Island, which the operator has said it expects to open in the first quarter of 2027.

Source: Reuters via Northland News Radio, Oct 24, 2026

The northern UAE coast is home and workplace to large numbers of Indian and Punjabi workers in tourism, fishing, construction and services, for whom closed beaches, fishing restrictions and a spreading slick are a direct livelihood and health concern, not a distant headline. No reopening date was announced in Saturday's statement. Sources: Reuters, reporting the Ras Al Khaimah Public Services Department statement shared by Ras Al Khaimah Police, the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and the Sharjah Government Media Bureau.