An Egyptian ship has inflicted large damage to the coral reef in the Gulf of Aqaba after running aground, Jordanian state television said on Tuesday.
It is the second incident within weeks to cause environmental damage in Aqaba, Jordan’s only port and an important regional diving centre.
State-owned Al Mamlaka television quoted an unidentified source as saying that "large damage has been sustained by the coral as a result of the ship running aground in the Gulf of Aqaba".
An official in Aqaba, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the vessel as the Lotus, a general cargo ship built in 1990.
Witnesses said the ship ran aground in the Aqaba Marine Reserve, which comprises almost half of Jordan's 26-kilometre coastline.
The International Register of Shipping showed that the 108-metre Lotus is operated by Sea Gate Management, an Egyptian company.
It also operates the Flower of Sea, a similar type of ship that Jordanian authorities said spilt at least 11 tonnes of fuel oil in the Gulf of Aqaba last month. The August spill contaminated parts of the coral reef and local divers described it as the worst spill in decades.
Jordanian authorities said the spill also spread to neighbouring countries.
The official said the Lotus was towed on Tuesday to the Aqaba port and the incident will be investigated.
“No one is allowed to come near to the ship pending the investigation,” he added.
The official Jordanian news agency said that divers had been sent to the site to “assess the environmental damage” after the ship was towed away.
Video footage taken by an Aqaba resident on Tuesday morning showed the Lotus in shallow waters next to the Aqaba Marine Science Station shortly after the ship ran aground.
The marine reserve was carved out over the past few years to try to protect local fish and the coral reef after decades of construction and pollution in the area.
Aqaba has had a thriving diving industry and is a gateway to archaeological sites in the interior of Jordan, mainly the Nabataean city of Petra.
But diving instructors say there has been a significant reduction in the number of visiting divers since the fuel oil spill last month.
In June, Aqaba experienced its worst port accident in living memory when a cylinder containing about 25 tonnes of chlorine gas, destined for export to Djibouti, fell from a crane and exploded, killing 13 people.
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
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"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
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England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
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- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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