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Emergency declaration over Mauritius oil spill – Operator apologises

Photo:AP

 

Emergency declaration over Mauritius oil spill – Operator apologises

 

By Patryk Krych | The World Daily | AUGUST 9th 2020

 

With satellite surveillance capturing the imagery of a black stream of oil leaking out of a grounded ship in the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, an environmental emergency has been declared, as a threat to both wildlife and the local populous.

Dozens of rare plant life and baby turtles were removed from between the island near to the spill, Ile aux Aigrettes, and the mainland. This was done primarily by voluntary assistants and wildlife preservation workers, to help deal with what the local government called a “very sensitive” situation.

However, even with all this assistance, many species are still at risk due to the oil spill and risk endangerment. It is expected that the oil slick will be pushed along the mainland waters by a heavy wind presence, spreading the toxic substance along.

“Thousands of species around the pristine lagoons of Blue Bay, Pointe d’Esny and Mahebourg are at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution, with dire consequences for Mauritius’ economy, food security and health,” said Happy Khambule , Greenpeace’s climate and energy manager.

The French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his concern over the danger in place, having tweeted on Saturday: “When biodiversity is in peril, there is urgency to act.”

It was on July 25 when the Japanese bulk carrier, named the MV Wakashio, had struck the reef on the SouthEast coast of the Indian Ocean island and caused the severe leak. According to Mauritius, the ship carried somewhere around 4,000 tonnes of fuel. Criticism has been cast at the local government for the long time it had taken for them to respond to the crisis appropriately.

“That's the big question,” said Jean Hugues Gardenne of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation to The Associated Press news agency. “Why that ship has been sitting for long on that coral reef and nothing being done.”

Gardenne had also stated that this late response may have been caused by the country’s inexperience with such crises. This was the country’s first oil spill. It was highly likely that none of the salvage crew who’d worked for days to secure the ship’s spill were expecting it to break apart and worsen under the constant battering of the waves.

“They just hit and hit and hit,” Gardenne added.

 

A man scoops leaked oil from the vessel 

 

Prime minister Pravind Jugnauth said that for the country, populated by roughly 1.3 million people and relying rather heavily on tourism for its economy, this spill “represents a danger,” especially now during a time of economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our country doesn’t have the skills and expertise to refloat stranded ships,” he said on Friday, adding that the bad weather conditions around the shipwreck have made things far more difficult.

“We apologise profusely and deeply for the great trouble we have caused,” said Akihiko Ono, executive vice president of Mitsui OSK Lines, owners of the shipwrecked carrier, at a Tokyo news conference. He went on to say that they would “do everything in their power to resolve the issue.”

Of the 4,000 tonnes the ship was estimated to be carrying, 500 tonnes were manageably salvaged. Another 1,000 tonnes are thought to have leaked into the oceans, however. The final 2,500 tonnes are still on the ship, to be salvaged by the crew. The total costs of the damages have yet to be discerned.

At the request of the Mauritius government, Japan will be sending a six-person relief team for assistance with the environmental crisis, according to a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry cited on Sunday.

“We hope that this assistance will contribute to recovery of the environment of Mauritius and prevention of marine pollution,” the statement said.

 

By Patryk Krych | © The World Daily 2020

 

 

Categories:
Environment
Tags:
AfricaMauritiusOceansWater PollutionOil SpillPollutionMarine Life