MAURITIUS has declared a “state of environmental emergency” after an oil tanker leaked 1,000 tonnes of fuel into the Indian Ocean, devastating wildlife and pristine beaches.
Shocking satellite images show a dark slick oozing through the turquoise waters near environmentally sensitive areas after The MV Wakashio struck a coral reef off the island nation on July 25.
As the deadly slick closed in, anxious locals stuffed sacks with leaves and created makeshift straw barriers to protect the famous honeymoon resort.
Photos of volunteers show them covered in the thick black sludge.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said the spill “represents a danger” for the country of some 1.3 million people that relies heavily on tourism and has been been hit hard by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Marine protected areas in Mauritius cover an extent of 28 sq miles (7190 hectares), including six fishing reserves and two marine parks.
Jugnauth told journalists that the boat’s documents and black boxes have been recovered, reports Le Xpress from Mauritius.
France revealed it is now sending specialist help from its nearby Reunion Island. Equipment is also being sent from Greece to help the clean-up operation.
The Mauritius government “is taking all necessary actions so as to contain the oil spill from the MV Wakashio and some 400 sea booms have been deployed to secure the sensitive areas,” said Environment Minister Kavydass Ramano.
The vessel has grounded in a very sensitive zone which includes the Blue Bay Marine Park, Iles aux Aigrettes, and the Ramsar sites.
The operator of the Japanese bulk carrier apologised on Sunday.
Japan is sending a six-person disaster relief team, on the request of the Mauritius government, to help with removing the spilt oil, according to a statement by the Japanese Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
“We apologise profusely and deeply for the great trouble we have caused,” Akihiko Ono, executive vice president of Mitsui OSK Lines said at a news conference in Tokyo.
He added that the company would “do everything in their power to resolve the issue”.
Mauritius says the ship was carrying nearly 4,000 tonnes of fuel when it became stuck.
Wildlife volunteers ferried dozens of baby tortoises and rare plants from an island near the area of spill – Ile aux Aigrettes – to the mainland.
Locals and environmentalists are now asking why the authorities didn’t act more quickly after the ship ran aground more than two weeks ago.
Fears are now growing that the worsening weather could tear the Japanese-owned ship apart along its cracked hull.
France said a military transport aircraft was carrying pollution control equipment to Mauritius and a navy vessel with additional material is to set sail for the island.
“When biodiversity is in peril, there is urgency to act,” French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted on Saturday.
Some 500 tonnes of oil have been salvaged from the ship, but there are still 2,500 tonnes remaining on board.
Cracks in the hull were detected a few days ago and the salvage team was quickly evacuated.
Le Xpress reports that the smell of fuel oil is so overwhelming that it has terrified Intendant Laval Bangard, 70, who was born on the island.
The fisherman told the publication that he had never seen an ecological disaster of this magnitude.
Some 400 sea booms were deployed to contain the spill, but they were not enough.
“Our country doesn’t have the skills and expertise to refloat stranded ships,” the PM said on Friday.
Minister Ramano said a salvage team of 11 members were working to secure and stabilise the ship – but had to be evacuated due to the cracks in the ship hull.
A technical team is assessing the situation and has a technical plan to start pumping out the fuel at the earliest opportunity, he added.
“Bad weather has made it impossible to act, and I worry what could happen Sunday when the weather deteriorates.”
Heavy winds are expected to push the oil slick even farther along the mainland’s shore.
Greenpeace Africa warned that hundreds of tonnes of diesel and oil has leaked into the water.
Thousands of species around the pristine lagoons of Blue Bay, Pointe dEsny and Mahebourg are at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution, said Greenpeace’s climate and energy manager, Happy Khambule.
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<!--googleon: all-->The country also has appealed to the United Nations for urgent aid, including experts in containing oil spills and environmental protection.
A police inquiry has been opened into possible negligence, the government said.
Neither Mitsui OSK Lines nor Nagashiki Shipping, the ship’s owner, could confirm the cost of damages from the oil spill.
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