"The ship sank this morning in Tunisian territorial waters. For the moment, there is no leak," Mohamed Karray said, adding that a "disaster prevention committee will meet to decide on the measures to be taken," according to Barron's.
The Equatorial Guinea-flagged Xelo was headed from the Egyptian port of Damietta to the European island of Malta when it requested entry to Tunisian waters on Friday evening due to bad weather.
It began taking water around seven kilometers (over four miles) offshore in the Gulf of Gabes and the engine room was engulfed, according to a Tunisian environment ministry statement.
It said Tunisian authorities evacuated the seven-member crew.
The defense, interior, transport and customs ministries were working to avoid "a marine environmental disaster in the region and limit its impact", the environment ministry said.
MP/PR