The owner of an Italian cargo ship, Ignazio Messina & C. SPA, dismissed reports that the vessel faces danger of sinking off Egyptian coasts.
Italian media reported earlier that the company’s Jolly Amaranto, which had been loaded with toxic materials, broke down off Egypt’s shores. The vessel, which had set sail from northern Italy, called for rescue from Egyptian coast guards, according to ANSA, an Italian press agency.
The cause of the ship’s failure remains unknown.
Stefano Messina, an executive at the Italian company, denied that Jolly Amaranto would capsize. He noted, however, that bad weather currently challenges the arrival of two rescue boats to the scene.
Five Romanians, 16 Italians, and a dog, are aboard the ship. The vessel carries toxic materials such as paint and printer inks.
Iganzio Messina ruled out environmental catastrophe following the failure. “The containers could not cause environmental crisis similar to that of an oil tanker,” he said.
Translated from the Arabic edition.
