Egypt Daily News – Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, confirmed that many efforts have taken place over the past days to contain the crisis of the sinking of the cargo ship in the city of Quseir, to preserve the marine environment and control the leakage of oils, in addition to protecting tourist uses in the area, and many attempts were made to prevent the sinking of the ship, but the weather conditions and the severity of the damage to the ship’s hull led to sink.
The Minister of Environment added that the sinking of the ship occurred as a result of a tilt on the right side of it, as well as many cracks on the side, which led to the difficulty of repairing it, especially in light of bad weather conditions, noting that the situation is currently being monitored by the Egyptian navy and investigation authorities around the clock, and that the last crew members left the ship and handed it over to the investigators.
Dr. Yasmine Fouad directed to raise the level of readiness and maximum preparedness and work to prevent any additional leakage into the area surrounding the accident and limit environmental damage.
The Minister of Environment, announced the start of the ecosystem restoration program in the Red Sea and South Sinai, and the decision was made to start in the Qusayr region, which will include specialized and continuous environmental monitoring operations, in addition to studies to measure efficiency recovery rates and assess the extent of the need for rehabilitation in this region. This is until the marine environmental balance is restored, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program in Egypt.
