The bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground on July 25 and fuel from there has been seeping into a protected marine park boasting unspoiled coral reefs, mangrove forests and endangered species, prompting the government to declare an unprecedented environmental emergency.
The stricken vessel started leaking oil this week. Attempts to stabilize the vessel and pump 4,000 tonnes of fuel from its hold have failed, and local authorities worry that rough seas could further damage the tanker, thereby increasing the spill.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said response crews had managed to hinder the leak for now, but were bracing for the worst. ‘The cracks have grown. The situation is even worse,’ he told reporters late Sunday. ‘The risk of the boat breaking in half still exists.’
Japan revealed on Sunday that it would send a six-member expert team to assist, joining France which dispatched a naval vessel and military aircraft from nearby Reunion Island after Mauritius issued an appeal for international help.
Mitsui OSK Lines, which operates the vessel owned by another Japanese company, said that 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil had escaped so far, on Sunday.
The shipping firm’s vice president, Akihiko Ono, said ‘We are terribly sorry,’ and speaking to reporters in Tokyo, promised to ‘make all-out efforts to resolve the case’. Conservationists have said that the damage could already be done.
‘People by the thousands are coming together. No one is listening to the government anymore,’ said Ashok Subron, an environmental activist at Mahebourg, one of the worst-hit areas.
‘People have realised that they need to take things into their hands. We are here to protect our fauna and flora.’
Police revealed on Sunday that they would execute a search warrant granted by a Mauritius court to board the Wakashio and seize items of interest, including the ship’s log book and communication as part of its investigation into the accident. The search will be conducted with the ship’s 58-year old captain
The twenty crew members who were safely evacuated from the Japanese-owned but Panamanian-flagged ship are under surveillance.
Prime Minister Jugnauth has convened a crisis meeting later Sunday, after expressing worry over the fact that forecast bad weather could further destabilize efforts to stop the spill, and cause more structural damage to the hull.
The slick has started to drift further up the coast, pushed further by strong winds and currents.
Talking to AFP, Vassen Kauppaymuthoo, an oceanographer and environmental engineer said ‘I think it’s already too late. If the ship breaks in two, the situation will be out of control’.
‘We’re talking about a major disaster that is progressing, and it’s getting more complicated hour by hour.’
Mauritius and its 1.3 million population depend crucially on the sea for ecotourism, having built a reputation as a conservation success story and a world-class destination for nature lovers.
‘Fishing is our only activity. We don’t know how we will be able to feed our families,’ one fisherman, named Michael, told AFP
