shipping
Tunisia: Sunken freighter with no diesel on board
The sunken merchant ship “Xelo” off the southeast coast of Tunisia. Photo: Tunisian Ministry of Defense/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
A week ago, in bad weather, a ship got into distress off the coast of Tunisia and sank – an environmental disaster was feared. Now there is the all clear.
After fears of an environmental disaster off the coast of Tunisia caused by a sunken ship with possibly large amounts of fuel on board, the authorities have now given the all-clear.
Contrary to earlier reports, the freighter did not have any diesel on board, according to the Tunisian Ministry of the Environment and the Navy. According to the army, the crew of the ship had informed the Tunisian authorities about the cargo. It was initially unclear why the information provided by the crew was incorrect.
The ship was in distress a week ago on its way from the Egyptian port of Damietta to Malta due to bad weather. It sank about seven kilometers off the coast of Tunisia in the Gulf of Gabès. The crew of seven was rescued from the ship and temporarily taken into custody for questioning. Tunisian authorities are now expressing doubts about the seaworthiness and the actual activities of the ship.
According to original information, the freighter should have loaded around 750 tons of diesel. To prevent an environmental catastrophe, rescuers wanted to siphon off the fuel. According to the army, this action is now being discontinued. The ship itself should be salvaged soon.
The island of Djerba, popular with holidaymakers, is also located in the Gulf of Gabès. According to the environmental organization WWF, the area has been exposed to pollution from chemicals from factories for decades.