Dubai Luxury Beaches Closed Due to Oil Slick

An oil slick in Persian Gulf in Dubai forced authorities on Saturday to close beaches.

"We are cleaning up after a tar slick washed ashore. The beach is closed until tomorrow. This happens sometimes in this area but this is the worst I have seen in several years," a luxury hotel's employee said.

The origin of the slick is still uknown.

Environmentalists say most oil pollution on the beaches is due to spillage from oil tankers in the Gulf. An estimated 50,000 vessels passing through the shallow waterway discharge around 30 million cubic metres of ballast water every year, according to the Emirates Environmental Group.