Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, has announced the hatching of hawksbills turtles on the shorelines near EGA’s Al Taweelah facility. Hawksbills turtles are a critically endangered species of sea turtle that visit the UAE shorelines each year to lay their eggs.
To ensure operations do not disturb the beach ecosystem adjacent to EGA’s Al Taweelah facility and minimise the risk of predation by any feral animals, EGA’s monitors the beach throughout the nesting season, conducting daily inspections, tracking nesting patterns, and installing protective buffers to keep nests safe from harm. EGA also arranges for waste that is washed up on the beach to be removed and keeps the nesting site clean throughout the nesting season.
For any sick turtles or hatchlings found on the beach, EGA ensures care is provided by the Jumeirah Group’s Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project, which earlier this year rehabilitated three sick hawksbills rescued by EGA’s Sustainability Team. The turtles have since made a full recovery and been released back into the sea at EGA’s Al Taweelah beach.
This season, more than 40 hawksbills were rescued by EGA’s Sustainability Team next to the company’s site in Al Taweelah and released into the sea after their nests were damaged by high tides and other challenging weather conditions.
EGA Executive Vice President of Health, Safety, Sustainability, Environment and Business Transformation, Salman Abdulla, said: “Protecting the UAE’s natural heritage today and for future generations is a responsibility we take very seriously. We are delighted that, for yet another season we have had the opportunity to support this critically endangered species and we look forward to welcoming them back to Al Taweelah again next year.”
The average hawksbill lifespan ranges from 30 to 50 years, with females capable of laying 100 to 150 eggs in one annual nesting season. Since 2011, nearly 100 hawksbill turtles have laid eggs on EGA’s Al Taweelah beach, resulting in the hatching of almost 7,000 baby turtles.