No threat to the environment, but many gray areas to be clarified: the Tunisian authorities announced on Friday April 22 that the tanker wrecked last Saturday off the coast of south-eastern Tunisia was empty, ruling out any risk of pollution , after initially indicating that the ship was carrying 750 tonnes of diesel.

But while an environmental catastrophe has been averted, questions remain about the tanker's route and the nature of its activities. 

"The ship 'Xelo' which sank in the Gulf of Gabes does not contain diesel and its tanks are empty," the environment ministry said in a statement.

“It poses no immediate pollution risk,” the ministry added.

Tunisian Navy Captain Mazeri Letayef, who heads a crisis unit in the port of Gabès, told AFP that this discovery had been made "following the operations of Tunisian and Italian divers", after the arrival on site by a pollution control vessel sent by Rome.

"The four tanks are filled with sea water," added Captain Letayef, saying that "it [could] be that the ship is not actually active in the transport of fuels".

According to the ministry statement, the preparations launched to pump the diesel "will cease" and the authorities will study a possible salvage and towing of the wreck "in a later phase".

The court opens an investigation

The ministry, which itself announced last Saturday that the tanker was carrying 750 tonnes of diesel, raising fears of an oil spill, did not explain the reasons for this confusion.

The 'Xelo', en route to Malta according to the Tunisian authorities, sank on April 16 in Tunisian waters where it had taken refuge the day before due to bad weather conditions.

According to Tunis, it left from the Egyptian port of Damietta, which the Egyptian port authorities have denied.

For some unknown reason, this 58 meter long and 9 meter wide tanker, built in 1977, started to take on water. 

Navy forces evacuated the seven crew members before the ship sank nearly 20 meters deep. 

It sank in a horizontal position and showed "no cracks" on Sunday when inspected by divers, according to the Ministry of the Environment.

Tunisian justice has opened an investigation to determine the causes of this accident, but also the nature of the oil tanker's activity and its journey in recent weeks.

The crew members of the ship – the Georgian captain, four Turks, two Azerbaijanis – flying the flag of Equatorial Guinea, were banned from leaving Tunisia for a period of two weeks. 

Equatorial Guinea announced Thursday the suspension of 395 vessels flying the flag of this country in an "illegal" manner.

Inconsistent journey

"There are more than 300 ships in the world working illegally under our flag. The flag of Equatorial Guinea cannot be the face of international fraud," Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue tweeted.

Tunisian media have recalled the proximity of the Gulf of Gabès to Libya, a major oil-producing country, whose coasts have been the scene of hydrocarbon trafficking, particularly to Malta, in recent years.

Experts and media have highlighted the inconsistent route followed by the ship whose "bill of lading", a document informing about its route and the nature of its cargo, was "left by the crew" on the boat, according to the authorities. 

Some experts believe that this ship may have served as a floating "service station" supplying boats transiting through the strategic area of ​​the Gulf of Gabes.

The Tunisian investigation located him in the port of Sfax, north of Gabès, from April 4 to 8, where he carried out a crew change and minor repairs.

His trace was then lost until he sent distress signals on 15 April. 

With AFP

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