Tunisia: The Tunisian Ministry of Defense said on Sunday that countries have offered assistance to Tunisia to control the situation after sinking of a merchant ship carrying up to a thousand tons of fuel off the coast of Gabes in an attempt to avoid an environmental disaster.
The ship headed from Equatorial Guinea to Malta sank on Friday and the Navy rescued all seven crew members.
Officials said the ship was carrying between 750 tons and 1,000 tons of fuel and sent a distress call seven miles from Gabes, to which the Tunisian navy responded.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said that the Tunisian Navy will intervene with countries that have expressed their desire to help prevent marine pollution and avoid a marine environmental disaster.
Radio Mosaique in Tunisia said that Italy had offered to help and that it was expected to send a barge specialized in dealing with marine disasters.
On Saturday, the Public Prosecution opened an investigation to determine the responsibilities and listen to the ship’s crew.
The Ministry of Environment said the cause of the accident was bad weather.
The ministry added that the authorities have formed a crisis cell and are working to avoid an environmental disaster and reduce any potential impact.
She said that barriers will be set up to limit the spread of fuel and encircle the ship before withdrawing what leaked from it.
The coast of Gabes in the south of the country has been facing heavy pollution for years, with environmental organizations saying that industrial facilities in the area dump waste directly into the sea.
(Archyde.com)