Hibapress-rabot-agencies
The Xelo tanker is currently carrying diesel fuel and has sunk off the coast of Tunis, causing fear and consternation if its cargo occasionally sinks in the Mediterranean.
Fortunately, Tunisian authorities have finally revealed that there was “no leak” when divers inspected the surface of an oil tanker that sank near Capez on Tunisia’s southeastern coast. 750 tons of diesel cargo.
According to Divers, the ship sank “at a depth of about 20 meters, horizontally and showed no cracks”.
The diving team “accompanied the captain and the ship’s engineer as they learned the structure of the ship”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Parquet de Gabès pointed out that an investigation into the cause of the crash has been opened.
The Xelo, an oil tanker en route from the Egyptian port of Domita to Malta, sank on Saturday in the Tunisian waters where it had taken refuge yesterday evening due to bad weather. The ship, which was 58 meters long and 9 meters wide, began to draw water from the engine compartment.
Authorities continued to evacuate seven crew members before Xelo sank in the early hours of the morning. In a video from the Ministry of Environment on Sunday, we see only the tip of the mast coming out of the waves. This zone, which is under the control of the military, is inaccessible to the press.
According to Transport Minister Rabbi L. Majidi, during the rescue operation, rescuers “made sure to close the holds to avoid a diesel leak, and divers found that they were intact.” “The situation is not dangerous, the diagnosis is positive, the ship is stable because it fortunately sank in the sand,” the minister confirmed during a press conference at the port of Cabes on Sunday, along with his colleagues from the environment.
Anti-pollution booms have already been installed floating around 200 meters around the ruins. But the priority of the authorities is to pump diesel. Finding the divers exit point is very tricky [des cales] To pump “, the Minister of Transport explained to reporters while reducing the level of hazards:” 750 tons of diesel nothing “and” diesel evaporates easily with the sun “.
Officials said they were also looking into “offers to help them” pumping from overseas. “The Italian ambassador [en Tunisie] Tunisian officials contacted Lorenzo Fanara this Sunday, and the Italian government immediately decided to send a pollution control vessel and a special divers team, ”diplomatic sources told AFP.