A second team of Japanese experts went to Mauritius on Wednesday using special oil-absorbing materials to clean up tons of oil that leaked from a ship owned by Japan after it ran aground earlier this month.
“The oil leak from the beach ship has caused severe damage to the people of Mauritius, its economy is largely dependent on tourism and the beautiful ocean,” Environment Minister Yukihiro Haisa told reporters before leaving.
“I’m terribly scared.”
Six members of the team travel to Mauritius from Japan, with the leader of the group participating from New York.
Haisa said the Mauritius government has asked the team to assess the impact of the leak on local coral reefs.
The Japanese property MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef on July 25 and began leaking oil more than a week later, spilling more than 1,000 tons and threatening a protected marine park with mangrove forests and endangered species.
“We want to apply our technical skills to help clean up the oil-covered mangrove forests,” said Noriaki Sakaguchi, an environmental expert at Japan’s International Cooperation Agency.
“Once damaged, it will take a long time for an ecological system to recover,” he said.
The team is able to generate 20 boxes of special oil-absorbing materials to generate a total of 1,200 liters (265 gallons) of oil.
Complex root structures
The material was donated by Tokyo-based company M-TechX and was used in an oil accident in Japan last year.
“I would like to see how we can use the absorbent material to clean the coastal area and the complex root structure of the forests contaminated by oil,” said Haisa.
Tokyo has already sent out a team of six experts, including a coastguard and diplomats, to assist in the response.
Both the Mauritanian and Japanese governments have come under fire for failing to act immediately to prevent a large-scale game.
Mauritian authorities on Tuesday arrested the Indian captain of the ship.
Officials have yet to reveal why the ship, which was from Singapore to Brazil, came so close to the island that it is now faltering from the ecological disaster.
The boat had transported 4,000 tons of oil, and rescue workers managed to pump about 3,000 tons out of the bulk carrier before it split in two on Sunday, which prevented a much larger catastrophic environment.
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