The Gulf’s geography makes the situation even more dangerous. The semi-enclosed body of water has extremely slow water exchange, he explained.
“In such a closed water system, toxins are not flushed out but instead accumulate over decades,” Sherbini added.
Any oil or chemical spill from a tanker could result in a long-term disaster in the Gulf, — poisoning the resource on which the lives and health of the entire region's population directly depend, he stressed.
“For 100 million people, the Gulf is the only source of life, and they have no other options," Sherbini warned. "This is no longer just an environmental issue, but a question of the region's physical survival."