“At around 4.30pm a major separation from the front section of the ship was observed,” the National Crisis Commission Mauritius said in a statement.
The Japanese-owned ship, MV Wakashio, ran aground at the end of July at Pointe d’Esny and last week began leaking tons of oil into an unjust lagoon in the Indian Ocean.
A massive cleaning operation involving thousands of local volunteers was underway. But a crack inside the hull of the ship expanded earlier this week, according to ship operator Mitsui OSK Lines, a Japanese company.
Tal Harris, a communications coordinator for Greenpeace Africa International, told CNN that authorities “have designated the area a restricted zone” and volunteers have been asked to stop activities.
Earlier this week, Sunil Dowarkasing, a former Greenpeace International strategist and former Mauritius MP, told CNN that one of the ship’s three oil tanks had already leaked into the ocean and crews were trying to remove the oil from the other tanks. ship broke up.
It is unclear how much oil was removed for Saturday. Earlier this week, the operator, Mitsui OSK Lines, said that about 1,180 metric tons of oil leaked from the ship’s fuel tank – with about 460 tons manually recovered from the sea and coast. The ship carried about 3,800 tons of Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil and 200 tons of diesel oil, according to the operator.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth had declared a state of environmental distress.
“We are in a situation of environmental crisis,” said Kavy Ramano, the country’s environment minister.
The game is close to two environmentally protected marine ecosystems and the Blue Bay Marine Park Reservation. Nearby are a number of popular tourist beaches and mangrove plantations.
The MV Wakashio was on his way from China to Brazil when it ran aground on July 25.
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