TUNIS: Tunisia will work with other countries that have offered to help it to prevent environmental damage after a merchant ship carrying up to one thousand tonnes of oil sank in Tunisian waters, the defence ministry said on Sunday.
The ship was heading from Equatorial Guinea to Malta when it sank seven miles off the coast of the southern city of Gabes on Friday. The Tunisian navy rescued all seven crew members following a distress call.
It was carrying between 750 tonnes and one thousand tonnes of fuel, officials said. The defence ministry did not name the countries that had offered to help, but local media said Italy was expected to send a naval vessel specialised in dealing with marine disasters.
A specialised marine diving team has begun work around the ship to check for any oil leakage.
“The situation is reassuring and under control, and no leakage of gasoil has been recorded until now from the tank of the sinking ship,” Rabie Majidi the transport minister said.
Comments
Comments are closed.