The Japanese property, MV Wakashio, ran into Pointe d’Esny in late July. A massive clean-up operation has been launched offshore since oil began leaking on Thursday, with thousands of local volunteers heading east on the island nation to help.
However, some on the ground said on Tuesday that new cracks appeared – and if the ship broke up, thousands of tons more fuel would be released into the lagoon.
“The way the leak and the break in the ship increase is very likely that this ship will break in two. And we still have about 2500 metric tons of fuel in the tank of the ship,” said Sunil Dowarkasing, a former strategist for Greenpeace International and former MP in Mauritius.
Dowarkasing said the ship has three oil tanks, one of which is leaking into the ocean. That leak has since stopped, and an operation is now underway – with a tanker and salvage teams – to remove the oil from the other tanks before the ship breaks.
“That’s the immediate danger to us,” Dowarkasing said. “The weather was good yesterday and seems to be fine today, which is an advantage.”
On Friday, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a state of environmental distress, with the country’s environment minister, Kavy Ramano, saying, “We are in a situation of environmental crisis.”
Ecological disaster
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.
Vikash Tatayah, managing director of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, said teams have worked to save the many different species of plants and wildlife from a nearby island, Ile aux Aigrettes.
“We have actually removed thousands of plants that were in the nursery and we have moved fruit bats that were in captivity on the island. We have also removed a small number of endangered birds,” Tatayah said Tuesday.
The oil is soaked in Mahebourg Lagoon, a scenic spot known for its turquoise waters. Rejuvenation efforts have continued in this area since 2001, when the government banned sand mining from the lagoon. Dowarkasing said marine life was returning and that corals were slowly growing before playing.
“With this oil game, we can lose that again,” he said. “There will be mass damage to the marine ecosystem.”
Conservatives on the scene say it is too early to assess the extent of environmental damage and want the government to make proper assessments.
Concerns are also growing for the thousands of local people whose existence will be affected by the game. The island relied heavily on fishing and tourism, and was already affected by the coronavirus pandemic that halted international travel.
“People are worried that this has happened,” Tatayah said. “Thousands and thousands of people working in tourism will be badly affected by this wreck.”
On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron said France was deploying teams and equipment from the nearby island of Reunion in response. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that a team of six members of Japan Disaster Relief had also been sent out to help with the response “at the request” of the Mauritanian government.
The ship
The MV Wakashio is a cargo ship operated by the Japanese company Mitsui OSK Lines. It was en route from China to Brazil when it ran aground on July 25. Last Thursday, the ship began leaking oil into the ocean.
The company said it had contracted a ‘specialist oil response and salvage team’ to work with Mauritian authorities.
“Nagashiki Shipping takes its environmental responsibilities extremely seriously and will take every effort with partner agencies and contractors to protect the marine environment and prevent further pollution,” the statement said.
In an updated statement on Tuesday, Mitsui OSK Lines said 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.
Mitsui OSK Lines on Tuesday confirmed that the crack in the hull of the ship has been extended, adding: “Since this ship cannot navigate by itself, it is attached to a tugboat so that it will not float even if it is broken. . “
On Sunday, Akihiko Ono, executive vice president of Mitsui OSK Lines, apologized for the accident and the environmental damage.
CNN’s Sehra Jafree, Kaori Enjoji, Yoko Wakatsuki and Akanksha Sharma contributed to the report.
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