Tunisia said it was working to avoid an “environmental catastrophe” as a merchant ship carrying 750 tons of fuel could have completely sunk off the coast.
The Equatorial Guinea-flagged ship was en route from the Egyptian port of Damietta to Malta when problems arose on Friday evening due to bad weather.
The ship was left at the dock near Gabes on the Tunisian coast, where water entered the engine compartment and partially flooded it.
The ship’s crew of seven abandoned it.
The Tunisian Ministry of the Environment says it has launched a contingency plan to prevent a “marine environmental disaster” near Gabes in southeastern Tunisia.
“The situation is currently under control,” the environment ministry was quoted as saying, without elaborating.