RED SEA and GULF OF ADEN (I)

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The Rea Sea and Gulf of Aden region includes the Res Sea, Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba, and comprises the states of Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The countries within this region hold some of the world's largest oil and gas reserves and export potential.


The waters of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden constitute a unique ecosystem with high biological diversity. In particular, they host and extensive system of coral reefs and their assiociated animals and plants. Surrounded by arid terrestrial environments, the reefs support rich biological communities and representatives of several endangered species. There are also mangroves, seagrass beds, salt marshes and salt pans in the region. Fishing and an ever growing tourism industry are important to the economy of this area.


THE RISK OF OIL SPILLS


The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden form an important transport route between Europe and the Far East, particularly for the carriage of oil and commodities. Although appoximately 11% of the world's seaborne oil is transported through the region, there have been no major spills (>5,000 tonnes) resulting from shipping accidents. Most spills in this region have been the result of operational discharges, equipment failures and groundings.


Despite the low occurrence of major accidents within the region, the high volume of shipping results in chronic pollution in the form of tarballs arriving on the shorelines. Studies of water quality suggest that the Red Sea environment receives more oil per square kilometre than any other regional sea. The coast of Saudi Arabia between Jeddah and Yemen is heavily tarred in places. The Egyptian coast near the offshore oil fields of the Gulf of Suez is similarly affected by oil discharges. Increasing levels of dredging, construction and industrial waste associated with coastal development, are also creating threats to the marine environment.

In terms of navigation there are some potentially hazadous areas within the region. The strait of Bad-el-Mandeb is well defined and marked with an established traffic separation scheme. Numerous offshore platforms in the Gulf of Suez pose a danger to navigation, as do a number of coral reef systems in the Strait of Tirana at the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba, where many ships have grounded in the past.

(from Regional Profiles (ITOPF): http://www.itopf.com/information-services/country-profiles/documents/redsea.pdf)