Anxious Mauritans use hair to disrupt the oil loss of Japanese ships

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Mauritians make floating bombs of human hair and leaves in a round clock to leak oil from a grounded Japanese ship on its pristine shores of the Indian Ocean.

The MV Wakashio, owned by the Nagashiki Shipping Company and operated by Mitsui OSK Line, began boiling fuel in turquoise seawater last week after hitting a reef off the island.

Mauritius has declared a state of emergency and former colonial ruler France has sent help in what environmental group Greenpeace said could be a major ecological crisis.

Romina Tello, 30-year-old founder of eco-tourism agency Mauritius Conscious, spent the weekend cleaning black mud from mangrove swamps. She said Mauritarians made bombs to float on the sea from sugar leaves, plastic bottles and hair that people voluntarily cut.

“Hair absorbs oil, but not water,” Tello explained by phone. “There has been a big campaign around the island to get the hair.”

Videos online show volunteers sewing leaves and hair into nets to float on the surface and granulate the oil until it can be sucked by snakes.

Diving centers, fishermen and others have all taken part in the search, with some offering sandwiches, hostels offering free accommodation to volunteers and hair salons offering discounts to those who donate hair, Tello said.

The oil rig is located near the Blue Bay Marine Park, known for its spectacular coral and myriad fish species.

‘It’s really moving – everyone is doing what we can. It breaks our hearts to see the damage, ”said Tello.

Mauritius relied on tourism as a major contributor to its economy, worth 63 billion rupees ($ 1.6 billion) last year.

“We sincerely apologize for the major problems we have caused,” Akihiko Ono, executive vice president of Mitsui OSK Lines, told reporters in Tokyo on Sunday, promising to do everything possible to make up for the loss. restrict.

At least 1,000 tons of oil is being spilled, with 500 tons saved and about 2,500 tons left.