Ship carrying 750 tons of fuel sinks off Tunisia coast

An oil tanker carrying 750 tons of fuel sank off Tunisia's southeastern coast on Saturday, authorities said on Saturday. According to the government, the situation remained under control as the country launched a large-scale plan to avert a potential disaster.

Officials say leaks are 'minimal'

The ship sank this morning in Tunisian territorial waters. The cause of the incident was bad weather, the environment ministry said, with water having seeped into the ship.

The water was said to have reached the engine room while the ship was some 7 kilometers (4 miles) off the Gulf of Gabes coast.

"There are minimal leaks, which are not even visible to the naked eye and fortunately the oil is evaporating, so there shouldn't be a disaster in the Gulf of Gabes," local official Mohamed Karray said.

The Equatorial Guinea-flagged ship was heading from Egypt to Malta when it requested to enter Tunisian waters due to bad weather.

The seven crew members were rescued by Tunisian authorities and briefly hospitalized.

Efforts to avert 'environmental disaster'

Tunisia's Ministry of Environment said authorities were evaluating the situation following the sinking of the ship. Environment Minister Leila Chikhaoui was traveling to Gabes to coordinate with regional officials, it said. Chikhaoui told state television that "the situation is under control."

Several other ministries — defense, interior, transport and customs — were also said to be working to avoid "a marine environmental disaster in the region and limit its impact." 

Officials said they would set up barriers around the vessel to limit any major spill.

The government activated "the national emergency plan for the prevention of marine pollution with the aim of bringing the situation under control and avoiding the spread of pollutants."

ab,rc,dj/fb (AFP, dpa, Reuters)