The environmental disaster feared by the locals has not yet taken place.
Following the sinking of the oil tanker Xelo on April 16, Tunisian Minister of the Environment Leila Chikhaoui went there.
She was optimistic about a situation described by her services as being "under control".
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“We believe the hull is still watertight and there have been no leaks so far,” she told AFP.
Unlike fuel oil, “diesel oil tends to evaporate quite quickly”, in the event that slicks rise to the surface, according to the minister.
“We think that the current means will make it possible to circumscribe the accident”, added Leila Chikhaoui, indicating that if necessary Tunisia could “appeal for international aid”.
An open investigation
To take shelter, in the face of bad weather conditions, the ship had asked to enter Tunisian territorial waters on Friday evening.
The boat began to take on water when it was about 7 km off the coast of the Gulf of Gabès.
The water seeped into the engine room, rising up to almost two meters in height.
The Tunisian authorities then evacuated the people on board the ship in distress, which sank in the early morning.
The seven crew members are in good health and will be questioned about the circumstances of the accident.
An investigation has been opened.