High seas off UAE coast forces two ships aground

The first incident occurred on Al Hamriya beach in Sharjah and the second on the coast off Al Zawra in Ajman.

SHARJAH // Two ships ran aground and Ras Al Khaimah suffered a severe fish shortage due to rough seas on Monday.

The first ship ran aground on Al Hamriya beach in Sharjah and the second off the coast of Al Zawra in Ajman, reported Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister newspaper of The National.

The high seas and strong winds also caused two fishing boats to capsize in Al Naqaa fishing port in Umm Al Quwain.

There were no casualties aboard any of the vessels.

The owners of both ships were told to make arrangements to tow the ships away once the waves had died down and authorities warned beachgoers not to gather near stranded ships for safety reasons.

Hussain Al Hajiri, director of the UAQ Fishermen’s Association, said that when strong winds blew, fishermen must tightly secure their boats in the harbour as waves could loosen ropes causing boats to tip over or sink.

He said the association could not pay compensation for losses incurred because it does not receive subsidies from government or charity institutions.

He said the Ministry of Social Affairs should allocate money that would help compensate fishermen for losses.

The storms were also responsible for fish stalls in RAK markets being empty for the first time in many years. RAK is usually considered the primary local source of fish.

Seven hundred fishermen were affected, according to Khalifa Al Muhairi, chairman of the association, and losses were estimated to be up to Dh10,000.