Egypt on alert for possible gas ship leakage in Gulf of Aqaba: ministry
CAIRO, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Egypt imposed a state of emergency and utmost alert on Sunday at the entrance of the Gulf of Aqaba in anticipation of potential leakage from a stranded gas ship in the area, said the Egyptian Ministry of Environment in a statement.
Ali Abu Senna, head of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), inspected the incident and ordered "to raise the state of preparedness and emergency in anticipation of any leaks or pollution from the ship."
The EEAA chief also ordered utmost alert at the Sharm El-Sheikh-based Al-Salam Center for Combating Marine Oil Pollution, affiliated with the Ministry of Environment.
The gas ship rammed into coral reefs at the entrance of the gulf near the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, according to the statement, which did not specify the exact date of the incident, but said it happened during the ongoing Muslim Eid Al-Fitr holiday.
Egyptian media outlets quoted unnamed sources on Sunday as saying that the gas ship belonged to Liberia and was en route to Russia after unloading its cargo at Jordan's port of Aqaba, adding that no leaks or pollutants have been detected from the ship so far.
They also confirmed that the ship was successfully floated and is currently kept at Sharm El-Sheikh port. ■