Tunisia. On 16 April 2022, the oil tanker Xelo ran aground in the Gulf of Gabès. According to its crew, the ship was carrying 750 tonnes of diesel fuel, raising the risk of a major oil spill. Emergency teams in the port of Gabès surrounded the wreck with containment booms to prevent an environmental disaster.
Although the immediate threat was brought under control, the incident reignited concerns about oil spills in a region already heavily polluted by decades of industrial activity. For local fishermen, whose working conditions have steadily deteriorated due to pollution, the danger is far from over.
A photo essay published in Inkyfada, 2022.
