OIL POLLUTION IN GULF OF ADEN/ARABIAN SEA COASTS OF YEMEN

OIL POLLUTION IN GULF OF ADEN/ARABIAN SEA

COASTS OF YEMEN

By
HASSAAN, M.A.H. *; MAHEUB, A.R.S.

AND NABEEL, A. AL-SHIWAFI

*University ofSana ‘a – Faculty ofScience. Depart. ofOceanogr.
p.o. Box 11826. Sana ‘a- Yemen
Ke~’ words: Oil pollution. Gulf of Aden, Arbian Sea, Yemen.
ABSTRACT
The present investigation inl’Olves an assessment of the level of
contaminants including: petroleum hydrocarbons in sediment and
molluscs from the Gu!f of Aden Arabian Sea aiming to establish their
background concentrations.
The study revealed comparable level of petroleum hydrocarbons in
this region 10 that reponed for other pans of the world. the
concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in the mussels ranged from
8800 ng g at al-syquia 10 12400 ng g (dl)’ weight) at Ras Quases in
April and from 13.000ng g at Aden 10 -13.000 ng g (dry weight) at Ras
Quases in august. the concenn”QIion of petrolelml hydrocarbons in
beach element ranged from 120 ng g at sayhout 10 840 ng’g (dry
weight) bulk sediment at Aden in April and from 300 ng.·g at Bulhaf to
2.100′ ngg dry weight bulk sediment at AI-Mukalla expressed as
Marib light crude oil equivalents. The rather high concentrations
observed in August samples in comparison 10 that in April was
attributed 10 the changing in wind direction and thus deposit oily on
the Yemeni beaches along the gulf of Aden Arabian Sea. It was
suggested that both beach sediments and molluscs were subjected to
the same point-source pollution of oil contamination which are:
tankers discharging of oily ballast water: effluent from the petroleum
refineries located on the coastal areas: and loading facilities and
transportation activities.