Mauritius oil spill: Fears ship may ‘break in two’ as cracks appear

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Large cracks have apparently appeared in the hull of a leaking oil tanker in Mauritius, prompting the prime minister to warn that it “could break in two”.

The MV Wakashio, believed to be carrying 4,000 tons of fuel oil, ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on July 25.

High winds of 50 km / h (31 mph) have stopped the cleaning.

Mauritius is home to the world famous coral reefs, and tourism is a crucial part of its economy.

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• Country profile of Mauritius

Enormous waves up to 5 m high are expected in the coming hours, posing even more problems for teams working to remove the oil and prevent an ecological disaster.

Until bad weather informed the mission, fuel was transferred to shore by helicopter and to another tanker owned by the same Japanese company, Nagashiki Shipping.

Former colonial ruler France has sent a military plane with pollution control equipment from its nearby island of Réunion, while Japan has sent a team of six members to help the French efforts.

Since the weekend, volunteers have been collecting straw from fields and filling sacks to make sheds against the oil.

Others have made their own tubes with tights and hair to add to the hassle, and some have cleaned the beaches of the island.

Their actions went against an order from the government asking people to leave the driveway to local authorities.

“People have realized they have to take matters into their own hands. We are here to protect our fauna and flora,” environmental activist Ashok Subron told AFP news agency on Sunday.

Mitsui OSK Lines, the ship’s operator, said on Sunday that it had tried to place its own containment beams to position the ship, but had not been successful due to rough seas.

It is thought that the bulk carrier, registered in Panama, had about 4,000 tons of fuel on board when it ran aground. All crew were evacuated.

More than 1,000 tons of oil are thought to have leaked into the waters around the island nation.

Fears for the environment

Environmentalists are concerned about the impact on the country’s ecosystem.

The MV Wakashio ran aground at Pointe d’Esny, a famous sanctuary for rare game. The area also contains wetlands designated as a site of international interest by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Happy Khamule from Greenpeace Africa warned that “thousands of” animal species “were at risk of drowning in a sea of ​​pollution, with dire consequences for the economy, food security and health of Mauritius”.

Mauritius has “world important populations of reptiles with unique genetic makeup”, which could be among the endangered species, said Vikash Tataya, conservation director with the Mauritian Wildlife Organization.

At a news conference, Akihiko Ono, executive vice president of Mitsui OSK Lines, “professionally” apologized for the loss and for “the major problems we have caused”.

He promised that the company “would do everything in its power to solve the problem”.

Police in Mauritius say they have been given a search, which allows them to board the ship to remove items of interest such as the ship’s log to assist in an investigation. The ship’s captain will assist officers in their search.

On Friday, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a state of emergency and called for help.