The oil tanker Xelo, flying the flag of Equatorial Guinea, came from Egypt and was headed for Malta
The oil tanker carrying 750 tons of fuel, blocked off the coast of Tunisia due to sea conditions, sank. The crew had been evacuated. An environmental disaster is now feared. At the moment, the spokesman for the local court assured, there would be no fuel spills from the tanker. «The ship sank this morning in Tunisian territorial waters. For the moment there are no losses », he assured him. The boat sank about 7 km from the coast of the Gulf of Gabes. The Tunis Ministry of the Environment explained on its Facebook page that it has activated the national emergency plan in coordination with all the ministries concerned.
Oil tanker flying the flag of Equatorial Guinea bound for Malta
Due to bad sea conditions, the oil tanker Xelo, flying the flag of Equatorial Guinea, coming from Egypt and bound for Malta, had asked to be allowed to enter Tunisian territorial waters. The crew initially approached the Tunisian authorities to obtain permission to disembark. But the sea water flooded the ship’s engine room to a height of two meters and thus the entire crew was evacuated.