On Saturday, a tanker carrying 750 tones of diesel fuel from Egypt to Malta capsized off Tunisia\u2019s southeast coast, but officials say a major spill is unlikely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The crew of the Xelo yacht, according to authorities, issued a distress call on Friday evening and sought shelter in Tunisian seas from heavy winds before sinking the next morning in the Gulf of Gabes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Environment Minister Leila Chikhaoui, who travelled to the port of Gabes on Saturday to assist with the reaction, the situation is \u201cunder control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor the time being, we believe the shell is still watertight and there is no leaking,\u201d she told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe believe that the resources we already have will allow us to limit the accident,\u201d she added, adding that the government will not hesitate to seek outside help if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Gabes district court said that an investigation into the accident had begun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tanker had issued a distress call, according to court spokesman Mohamed Karray, before it \u201csunk this morning in Tunisian national waters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the Equatorial Guinea-flagged Xelo requested admission to Tunisian seas, it was on its way from the Egyptian port of Damietta to Malta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to ship tracking website, the tanker is 58 metres (63 yards) long and nine meters wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It began taking water in the Gulf of Gabes roughly seven kilometers (four miles) offshore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Saturday, a tanker carrying 750 tones of diesel fuel from Egypt to Malta capsized<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":14717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[215],"tags":[351],"class_list":["post-14715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","tag-tunisia"],"yoast_head":"\n