Oil slick from Strait of Hormuz reaches UAE's northern coast

An oil slick from a tanker attacked in the Strait of Hormuz has reached the United Arab Emirates.

Video shows the slick at Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras Al Khaimah, the country’s northern emirate on the shores of the Arabian Gulf.

All beaches in the emirate have been closed as authorities rush to contain the leak.

Experts say vital desalination plants crucial for supplying water to the Gulf nation could be at risk from the spill.

British sources reported on October 9 that a vessel had been hit by a projectile off the UAE coast, causing a fire that was later brought under control.

The vessel has been identified as the oil tanker GEM NO.2, sailing under a Panamanian flag.

Tehran has claimed control over the Strait of Hormuz and regularly targets ships that transit there without its authorisation.