Some neighboring countries have offered to help Tunisia prevent environmental damage after a merchant ship carrying up to 1,000 tonnes of fuel sank off the country’s coast, Tunisia’s defense ministry said.
The ship, traveling from Equatorial Guinea to Malta, requested entry into Tunisian waters on Friday night due to bad weather. It sank near Gabes and the Tunisian fleet rescued all seven crew members. After a hospital examination, all seven were taken to a hotel.
Xelo transported between 750 and 1,000 tons of fuel. The tanker was 58 meters (190 feet) long and nine meters wide, according to the ship monitoring website Vesseltracker.com.
In a statement sent to Reuters, the defense ministry said that in order to control the damage to the environment, the Tunisian fleet will work with countries that have expressed a desire to help. Reports on Saturday say there have been no leaks so far.
Local media reported that Italy has offered assistance and is expected to send a naval ship specializing in dealing with maritime disasters.
On Saturday, Tunisian authorities launched an investigation into the sinking of the ship, which the environment ministry said was caused by bad weather.
It says barriers will be put in place to limit the spread of fuel and unplug the ship before the spill is sucked out.
The coast of the southern city of Gabes has been heavily polluted for years, with environmental groups claiming that industrial plants in the area dump waste directly into the sea.
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