Mauritius President Pravind Jugnauth declared a state of environmental emergency in the Indian Ocean island nation on Friday after a vessel offshore, M V Wakashio began leaking oil into the ocean.
The Japanese-owned ship which ran aground on a coral reef on July 25 began spilling nearly 4000 tons of fuel oil and 200 tons of diesel on board. The crew members were evacuated previously. The ship was en route from China to Brazil.
The catastrophe is expected to bring dire consequences to the environment of Mauritius threatening the aquatic life forms and polluting the sea which is a major part of Mauritius’s economy, security, food, and health. “This is the first time that we are faced with a catastrophe of this kind, and we are insufficiently equipped to handle this problem,” Fishing Minister Sudheer Maudhoo said.
The attempts to stabilize the ship had not succeeded due to rough seas. Efforts to pump out the oil could also not be done according to officials. The most feared situation is the breaking of ship which would further the leakage and would inflict more damage to the coastline.
Anti pollution systems have been sent and assistance has been requested from French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion according to the statement by Environment Ministry. Nagashiki Shipping, which owns the Wakashio, said it was monitoring the situation and salvage efforts were on hold due to poor sea conditions.
Marine protection teams are also present at the site, attempting to prevent the situation from worsening.
Mauritius is renowned for its tourism and industry and world famous coral reefs, which will be adversely affected by the oil leakage.
