The Japanese tanker that ran around Mauritius and threatened an environmental disaster has stopped leaking, but there is a danger that the ship will break in two.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth confirmed in a television briefing on Tuesday that there has been no more spillage from tanker MV Wakashio since Monday. However, he said that enormous cracks appeared on the body of the ship, indicating that it could break apart and leak more fuel.
Jugnauth, flanked by top officials, said the government has taken large-scale containment efforts to curb any additional spillage, including deployment of response teams.
The operator of the MV Wakashio confirmed on Tuesday that the crack in the hull of the stranded Japanese-owned cargo had expanded to get under fears that it could break apart.
“Since this ship cannot navigate by itself, it is attached to a tugboat so that it will not drift even if it is broken,” Mitsui told OSK Lines in a statement.
The major Japanese shipping company also said that of the 1,180 tons of fuel oil already leaking from a fuel tank, about 460 tons were manually recovered from the sea and coast.
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Oil radiation off the coast of Mauritius threatens the ecosystem |
Early Tuesday, about 1,020 tons were also pumped from the Wakashio, carrying about 4,000 tons of oil when it ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on July 25, the company said.
Reload the ship
To prevent further spillage into the sea, a salvage team and authorities pumped a remaining 1,800 tons of oil from the ship.
The MV Wakashio struck a coral reef off the island on July 25 and fuel began to leak out of its hull in recent days, causing fears of an ecological disaster in the protected waters of Mauritius.
Atsushi Hara, a spokeswoman for Mitsui OSK Lines, told the DPA news agency that since the ship went down, “the immediate priority had been to charge the ship”.
Nagashiki Shipping said attempts to reload it were foiled due to bad weather conditions.
The ship’s operator says the crack in the hull of the stranded Japanese-owned cargo ship has expanded [File: Daren Mauree/AFP]
Mauritian authorities have previously declared an environmental emergency, although some have criticized the response as too slow.
Jugnauth urged the international community to help the efforts of the East African nation. He said quality tests found air in the area safe, but the government has decided to keep schools closed until the cleaning process is complete.
Jugnauth also thanked residents for coming in large numbers to assist with clean efforts.
Meanwhile, the Mauritius Commercial Bank has given the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation about $ 75,000 to protect endangered flora and fauna, local media reported Tuesday.
In a statement, the bank said it was imperative to relocate the species living on Ile aux Aigrettes, a nature reserve on the southeast coast of Mauritius.
The bank said it hoped the money “would help protect the rarest endemic species from our environmental heritage”.
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The Indian Ocean is facing growing fuel spill threat |
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