Sunken tanker poses threat to port wall in Sharjah

Sharjah: Officials at Al Hamriya Port have said that the 30-metre oil tanker Lady Moon that sank in the area poses a threat to the port's outer sea wall.

Speaking to Gulf News on Wednesday, officials also expressed concern about the potential navigational hazard to ships in the vicinity. "The ship will be salvaged when weather permits," a port official said.

The ship lies only metres from the breakwater and authorities said it could come in contact with it if the sea is rough.

"The breakwater is at the core of the port's safety," the official said.

The five Iranian seamen, who were aboard the Lady Moon when it sank on Sunday, are still in police custody. Efforts to contact the tanker's owners have so far failed.

The vessel is believed to have unloaded its diesel cargo minutes before it sank in the early hours on Sunday.