Rough seas strand 4 ships, run oil tanker aground

Ras Al Khaimah Rough seas left four ships stranded in UAE waters while an empty oil tanker was forced aground by high waves and heavy winds Sunday. The UAE coast guard had a field day as they struggled to rescue the crew members from the vessels, with inclement weather hampering their efforts. Waves were reported to be as high as eight metres around the shore, which forced the oil tanker aground near Sharjah’s Hamriyah port. The 40 metre Dredger II, which was coming from Ajman, hit the breakwater of Hamriyah port, following which the waves pushed it on top of the breakwater, an official said. Two Asian crew members of the ship survived the incident and were rescued by the coast guard. They are reported to be in good condition and are awaiting outpasses to return home. “If the tanker falls from the breakwater it will go down on top of another oil tanker, Lady Moon, which sank on January 24 in similar weather conditions,’’ an official at Khalid Port told Gulf News Sunday. Lady Moon, Hamd II and Dredger II posed a real threat to the outer seawall off Al Hamriya Port,’’ the official said. Another ship was stranded off the shore of Nujoom Island in Sharjah between Al Hamriyah port and Umm Al Quwain. Eight crew members — seven Indian and one Iranian — were rescued by the coast guard teams after they jumped into the sea believing that the ship would sink, the official said. The sailors received minor injuries and are receiving treatment at Khalifa hospital in Ajman. Another ship, after struggling to sail through the rough seas, dropped anchor several hundred metres off Hamriyah port. The crew of the ship is seeking help to reach the port, but rough sea conditions have so far hampered the rescue operations. Before evening ‘’Before evening we have to get the oil tanker out off the sea because the waves will be more than 10 feet high at night,’’ the official said. At around 2 pm on Sunday the wave on the shore was a high as 5-6 feet, and in the deep sea it was 8-10 feet. In the evening it will be more than 10 feet high, the official added. ‘’It was tough and difficult day for the Coast Guard and the control room at Himrayah port, but thank God, there were no human loses,’’ the official said Two more ships also drifted off the shore in Ras Al Khaimah, one off Ghaleila area and the other at Khor Khuweir. The authorities were successfully able to the two ships back and took them to Saqr port in Ras Al Khaimah. No human injuries were reported.