(CNN) -- One hundred tons of diesel leaked into the Nile River after a barge sank in southern Egypt, but an official said the spill posed no danger to people or marine life.

The accident happened Saturday near the city of Aswan, 600 miles from the nation's capital of Cairo.

"All necessary measures have been taken to keep the situation under control," said Mostafa El-Saed, Aswan's governor.

He said the spill posed no danger to people or marine life, because the diesel was not poisonous, would not dissolve in the water and has a high rate of evaporation. He also noted that the river currents are higher this time of year.

The vessel, owned by the Nile Company for River Transportation, was carrying 240 tons of diesel -- 140 tons of which were safely transferred to another ship.

Authorities are testing the water every half hour, and the investigation of the accident is ongoing, El-Saed said.

CNN's Housam Ahmed contributed to the report.