GABES: A tanker carrying 750 tons of diesel fuel from Egypt to Malta sank on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) off Tunisia's southeast coast, but officials said a large spill would likely be avoided. The crew of the Xelo vessel had issued a distress call on Friday evening and sought shelter in Tunisian waters from bad weather before going down in the Gulf of Gabes in the morning, the authorities said. Environment Minister Leila Chikhaoui, who traveled to the port of Gabes on Saturday to help oversee the response, said the situation was 'under control.' The district court in Gabes said it had opened an investigation into the accident.
