A meeting was held on Wednesday at the headquarters of the National Ports Agency (ANP) in Tan Tan to examine ways to ensure the towing of the fuel transport ship that ran aground at the entrance to the city's port and thus avoid an ecological disaster. At the end of this meeting, chaired by the governor of the Tan-Tan province, Azzedine Halloul, in the presence of representatives of port and security authorities and elected officials, it was notably decided to sign a contract between the shipowner and the company SMIT TUG, insurer of the damaged ship, providing for the rescue of the tanker and the preservation of the environment, Mohamed Othmani, central director at the ANP, indicated to the MAP. During this meeting, which is part of the law organising the convention on marine pollution and related accidents, the company's representatives committed to using a tugboat from Las Palmas, with a power of 16,500 horsepower, which was due to arrive on Thursday in Tan-Tan, and to call on five experts from the Netherlands, who will be assisted by a Royal Gendarmerie helicopter, added Mr. Othmani. For their part, the owners of the tanker committed to presenting a financial guarantee to the maritime authority, in accordance with the law, the official stressed, adding that the ANP has provided the necessary lighting around the damaged ship to facilitate the rescue operation. It was also agreed to make floating booms available to the provincial command of the Civil Protection, he added. The ship, which was carrying 5,000 tonnes of industrial fuel, ran aground on Monday evening at the northern entrance to the port of Tan Tan, after getting stuck in the sand and being dragged by the waves towards a rocky area. An attempt to free the ship was undertaken, using tugboats from Agadir, Tarfaya and Tan-Tan, totalling a power of 6,000 horsepower, but in vain.