TUNIS, April 16 – Tunisian authorities on Saturday stepped up efforts to avoid an environmental disaster after a merchant ship carrying a thousand tons of fuel sank off the coast of Gabes on Friday, two security sources told Reuters.
The Tunisian Navy had rescued all seven crew members from the ship bound for Malta from Equatorial Guinea and sent a distress call seven miles from the southern town of Gabes, the sources added.
The cause of the incident was bad weather, the environment ministry said. Water entered the ship and reached a height of two meters.
The merchant ship that sank April 15, 2022 off the coast of Gabes in Tunisia is seen in this handout picture taken November 12, 2017 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Dmitry Frolov/Handout via REUTERS
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Authorities are working to avoid an environmental disaster and reduce the impact, the ministry said in a statement.
Barriers were said to be erected to limit the spread of fuel and cordon off the ship before the spill was sucked up.
The Gabes coast has been heavily polluted for years, and environmental groups say industrial plants in the area are dumping waste straight into the sea.
Reporting by Tarek Amara; Writing from Alaa Swalam; Editing by Sandra Maler and Himani Sarkar; Editing by David Evans