Fuel Leak on a Tourist Cruise Ship in Egypt’s Red Sea

A fuel leak occurred in the fuel tank of a tourist cruise ship in the Gurdaiga resort area of Egypt’s Red Sea due to a valve malfunction. Approximately 3 metric tons of heavy fuel oil spilled into the sea, forming a brown oil slick about 4 kilometers long, which is drifting toward the coral reef nature reserve with the wind. The Red Sea coral reefs are a globally significant tropical marine ecosystem; oil contamination can cause the death of coral polyps and threaten the survival of tropical fish, sea turtles, and other reef-dwelling organisms.