Ships ahoy: Authorities remove abandoned vessels

The Dubai Municipality has completed the removal of abandoned ships in the Al Jadaf area of Dubai Creek. The civic body gave an ultimatum to the owners of the discarded ships that had been lying along the banks of the Creek for years. This week they followed through on the warning to confiscate and dispose of the vessels. The municipality had launched a campaign involving the Dubai Police and Mubarak Marine Company, with a view to protecting the marine environment, prevent any danger that abandoned vessels could cause, and maintain the appearance of the area. Abdul Majeed Saifaie, Director of the Waste Management Department at Dubai Municipality, said the department had begun removing abandoned ships and waste in the area in phases from 2010. Communication While 17 ships were removed in 2010, six abandoned ships were removed in 2011 and another ten in 2012. "The process also included communication with the owners of the abandoned ships for their safe removal and treatment of damages. "This resulted in some vessels being removed by owners as a result of warnings issued," said Saifaie. He added that the department had finished the removal of all abandoned ships in the Al Jadaf area, some of which had sunk and others that were steeped on the banks of the Creek waters in Al Jadaf area for the last three to 17 years. "The move was successfully accomplished in cooperation with a number of private sector companies over the last two years as well as with the support of the Marine Rescue Section of Dubai Police," said Saifaie. "The lifting task of some vessels took around 15 hours and the length of most of them varied between 60-85 feet," Saifaie added.