A mystery that had residents across several emirates asking questions for days has been solved. The UAE's Ministry of Climate Change and Environment confirmed that an oil spill from a cargo vessel near the coast of Umm Al Quwain was behind the unusual smell reported in Sharjah, Ajman and other parts of the country.
Officials said the odour poses no health risk to residents, but as a precaution all beaches and coastal areas in Umm Al Quwain have been closed until further notice while safety assessments are completed.
Federal and local response teams moved quickly to contain and clean up the spill. Containment booms, cordoning and remediation work are under way, and environmental monitoring teams are continuing to track air and water quality in the affected area around the clock.
Fishermen and anyone who regularly uses the sea for work or leisure have been told to stay away from the affected stretch of coastline until the clean-up operation is finished, and to follow instructions issued by the relevant authorities.
The ministry also urged the public to rely only on official channels for updates, after unverified claims about the scale and cause of the incident circulated on social media in the days before the spill was officially confirmed.
The smell had first been noticed days earlier in parts of Sharjah and Ajman, with some residents also reporting it elsewhere in the country, triggering widespread concern online. With the source now identified, attention has shifted to finishing the clean-up as quickly as possible so Umm Al Quwain's beaches can reopen safely.
No details on the volume of the spill or the vessel involved have been released so far, and authorities say more updates will follow as the clean-up progresses.