As per reports, the Egyptian Ministry of Local Development and Environment is coordinating an emergency environmental response following the sinking of a river barge at the High Dam East Port in Aswan Governorate, located on Lake Nasser as of Saturday (27 June).

• Minister Dr. Manal Awad directed the immediate implementation of mitigation measures in coordination with relevant ministries and government agencies to minimise environmental impacts, protect the water quality of Lake Nasser, and restore normal conditions as quickly as possible.
• According to official reports, the barge sank completely to a depth of approximately 15 metres, resulting in the leakage of fuel and lubricating oils from its fuel tanks and engines.
• The incident created an oil slick measuring approximately 200 metres in length and 100 metres in width within a lateral stagnant section of the cargo port. Authorities stated that the spill remains confined to the port area and is located away from the main flowing waterway of Lake Nasser.
• The Ministry activated coordination between the National Emergency and Public Safety Network Control Centre, the Aswan branch of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), and other relevant authorities to continuously monitor the incident and oversee emergency response operations.
• Immediate actions include containing and dispersing the oil spill, salvaging the submerged barge, and restoring normal environmental conditions in the affected area.
• Environmental monitoring teams collected water samples from the affected location for laboratory analysis. Initial results indicated that certain water quality indicators exceeded permissible environmental limits due to the presence of an oil and diesel layer on the water surface.
• In response, the Environmental Police and the Waterways Department were reportedly deployed to support oil spill containment operations while environmental monitoring and water quality assessments continue.
• The Ministry has confirmed that field monitoring, inter-agency coordination, and environmental surveillance will remain in place until the spill is fully contained and any environmental impacts have been addressed.