A NEW base for British warships in the Gulf state of Oman threatens the last 100 surviving Arabian humpback whales, according to investigative website Declassified UK.

The facility at Duqm on the Indian Ocean is being tripled in size, encroaching on a key migration path for the endangered species.

The revelation comes as the Royal Navy’s flagship, giant aircraft carrier the HMS Queen Elizabeth, steams towards the port on its way to China.

Declassified alleged yesterday that British officials did not consider the environmental impact of the new base, despite evidence that it would have “large adverse” consequences for a species of whale at high risk of extinction.

The website said that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) took six months to respond to its request for copies of any environmental impact assessments of the base, before conceding in January that none had been undertaken.

Green Party peer Natalie Bennett said: “We hear endlessly from this government that it is ‘world-leading’ on environmental issues, yet once again, on a crucial issue for a keystone species, it is trailing behind others, failing in its most basic responsibilities to nature.”

Declassified UK’s full story can be read here: dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-06-03-british-aircraft-carrier-base-threatens-endangered-whales/