According to the government, a freighter that is in distress is threatening to leave the coast of Tunisia.
The Tunisian Ministry of the Environment has announced that an emergency plan has been activated to prevent an environmental disaster.
The ship is located in the Gulf of Gabès around seven kilometers off the coast and has around 750 tons of diesel on board.
Because water has penetrated the freighter flying the flag of Equatorial Guinea, it is said to be in danger of sinking completely.
However, the situation is currently under control.
According to the authorities, there was initially no leak and the crew was also able to be brought to safety.
Efforts are being made to prevent an environmental catastrophe in the region.
A civil protection committee will advise on further rescue measures, local court spokesman Mohamed Karray told AFP.
A crew of seven is already on board
The tanker "Xelo" asked on Friday evening on the way from the Egyptian port of Damietta to the island of Malta to be allowed to enter Tunisian waters because of the bad weather conditions.
Water then entered the ship just off the coast of the Gulf of Gabès.
When the water was already two meters high in the engine room, the authorities decided to disembark the crew of seven from Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
After a short medical examination, she was now accommodated in a hotel, said the court spokesman.
mamk/AFP/dpa
