Tunis/Tunisia — An operation to evacuate about ten tonnes of fuel oil from a foreign freighter stuck 8 miles off the coast of Djerba is scheduled for Thursday, Habib Chaouat, governor of Medenine, told TAP.

It was an oil tanker that was divided into two parts, one part is on the coast of Djerba and the other part remained in Malta.

This operation will be carried out according to an intervention plan drawn up jointly by the governorate of Médenine and several stakeholders, such as the Ministry of the Environment, the merchant navy, civil protection and the national navy.

The governorate of Médenine will take care of the logistical aspect by putting into service a tank for the transport of the fuel oil which will be evacuated by a specialised company.

After the operation of pumping the fuel oil, the merchant navy will intervene, either to pull the cargo (40 meters long) towards the coast or to bury it at a depth of more than 50 meters where it will be transformed into a refuge for the reproduction of marine fauna, the same source indicates.