Tunisia, others seek to limit damage after ship sinks carrying fuel
By Tarek Amara
TUNIS (Reuters) -Tunisia will work with different nations which have provided to assist it to forestall environmental injury after a service provider ship carrying as much as one thousand tonnes of oil sank in Tunisian waters, the defence ministry mentioned on Sunday.
The ship was heading from Equatorial Guinea to Malta when it sank seven miles off the coast of the southern metropolis of Gabes on Friday. The Tunisian navy rescued all seven crew members following a misery name.
It was carrying between 750 tonnes and one thousand tonnes of gasoline, officers mentioned.
The defence ministry didn’t identify the nations that had provided to assist, however native media mentioned Italy was anticipated to ship a naval vessel specialised in coping with marine disasters.
A specialised marine diving group has begun work across the ship to verify for any oil leakage.
“The scenario is reassuring and beneath management, and no leakage of gasoil has been recorded till now from the tank of the sinking ship,” Rabie Majidi the transport minister mentioned.
He mentioned the subsequent stage was “delicate and delicate” because the ship should be taken out of the water with out permitting leakage.
On Saturday, Tunisian authorities opened an investigation into the sinking, which the atmosphere ministry mentioned was brought on by unhealthy climate.
“Tunisia will decide later the losses and can demand compensation,” Laila Chikaoui, the atmosphere minister mentioned.
The ministry mentioned limitations can be set as much as restrict the unfold of the gasoline.
The coast of Gabes has suffered main air pollution for years, with environmental organisations saying industrial vegetation within the space have been dumping waste instantly into the ocean.
(Reporting By Tarek Amara; Modifying by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Barbara Lewis)
