Satellite images capture Wakashio being drawn to Antarctica As Mystery Of Ship Destroys

Overhead satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies
MAXR
taken on Wednesday, August 19 conquered the front of the Wakashio wreckage will be towed to sea in the direction of Antarctica on Wednesday, August 19th. In this set of satellite images, the wreck could be clearly seen 16 kilometers southeast of Pointe D’Esny, Mauritius.

This was the first time the ship was hit by the reefs since it ran aground on July 25, 2020.

The coordinates of the Wakashio then was at -20,499, 57,863, showing it in a direction toward Antarctica. De Wakashio was in the largest category of ships in the world, a Capesize, with a hull the length just short of a Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier at more than 300m.

The images from just after 7.30am on Wednesday 19 August, show the two support ferries forming a wide circle around the front of the Wakashio.

The charge bays of the Wakashio which is used to carry heavy iron ore can be seen as fully open as the ship is towed to the Southern Ocean.

Silence for the final destination of Wakashio

So far there has been no comment from the shipowner, Nagashiki Shipping, the government of Mauritius, the government of France present on the scene through the French Minister of Overseas, Sebastien Lecornuu, the government of Japan presenting six experts have as the international regulator, the International Maritime Organization who have a specialist present and advise local officials.

In a world of 24 hours of media, satellites and expected transparency, social media and chat rooms in the sector are full of rumors as to why such a need for confidentiality.

Whose decision was it to the Wakashio to sea? To which destination? Was that a unanimous decision? Why was no statement issued?

In today’s age, there must be complete transparency about the reason given for such a decision, especially in a sector that claims that the world can trust itself to regulate itself to meet sustainability goals. . The world has called for transparency amid a coronavirus pandemic, but it appears that global shipping continues to hide its dirty secrets in the deep ocean.

The Wakashio: A symbol of Broken Trust

If the accident of the Wakashio really was, then any attempt to clean up the spill and manage the aftermath would have to be handled in an open and transparent manner, with the best available science, and international expertise that has offered support from all over the world.

The lack of transparency has boosted confidence between a people forced to cut their hair to build homemade trees for oil protection, and powerful business interests that had driven the ship uninterrupted for four days and appeared to be less than transparent with an agreed plan for discharge.

Out of sight and out of touch

It is also a story about a sector that cannot even measure the damage it does, so questions are raised about how robust each environmental implementation is for each decision on where the Wakashio agrees.

This is now not only a story about a terrible shipping disaster, but raises deeper questions about the role of corporate responsibility, ensuring the trust and transparency needed to talk to the affected communities and now the emotional damage of not disclosing the destination of a ship that had been such a presence for 26 days.

Questions are also being raised about the role of the international regulator, the International Maritime Organization, in supporting the decision to possibly sink a ship at sea without issuing a public statement on its website as an assessment of the environmental impact that international scientists were able to validate, and who offered their support.

It also raises even more questions about the role of France and Japan, with French Overseas Minister Sebastien Lecornu present in Mauritius to provide international advice.

Both the leaders of France and Japan, President Macron and Prime Minister Abe, have positioned themselves as the face of change in the fight to save global biodiversity, climate and the ocean. These references seem to be dropping heavily as new technologies keep such high-resolution satellite imagery world leaders at a different level of responsibility.

De Wakashioa have perhaps left the shores of Mauritius, but the questions of the list are becoming ever longer.

Strong condemnation by Greenpeace

In a statement on its website on August 19, Greenpeace Africa issued a very strong condemnation of any decision to dump it Wakashio at sea.

Happy Khambule, manager of Greenpeace Africa Senior Climate and Energy, said: Of all the options available, the Mauritian government chooses the least. The sinking of this ship would jeopardize biodiversity and contaminate the ocean with large amounts of heavy metal toxins, and also threaten other areas, most notably the French island of La Réunion. Mauritians had nothing to gain from the MV Wakashio crossing their waters and are now being asked to pay the price of this disaster. More pollution further risks their tourist-based economy and fish-based food security. ”

The MV Wakashio is towed by two Maltese flag ships, the Boka Summit and Boka Expedition.

As a party to the 1972 London Convention, Malta is obliged to prohibit its ships from dumping waste, including ships at sea, if the polluting contents are not removed to the maximum extent.

Ayako Sekine, Greenpeace Japan Senior Climate and Energy Campaign, said, “Hiding the problem will not solve it. By sinking ship Nagashiki Shipping Co ltd. and Mitsui OSK Lines adopt a typical trick of the oil industry – bury their problems and expect the world to continue. They can choose to do the right thing to reduce the damage to humans and the planet at risk. ”

Mauritius-based human rights organization, Dis Moi, issued a statement via Vijay Naraidoo, saying, “This Moi and Greenpeace Africa stand with the affected communities in Mauritius and expect the polluters to pay for this environmental disaster. This means ignoring the cheapest, fastest option and instead setting the ocean and people first. ”

Narrative of a ‘rogue employee’

The previous day on Tuesday, August 18, was the captain of the Wakashio was arrested in Mauritius for allegedly attending a birthday party and on duty. The speed with which a narrative is formed of a ‘rough worker’ going against company protocols has surprised many, who expected a more in-depth explanation of the full set of reasons that the biggest oil spill caused in the Indian Ocean, with the full extent of the game is not even known yet.

58-year-old Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, was accused of endangering safe navigation, Mauritian Police said. He has no comments yet.

At the request of the owners of the Wakashio, Nagashiki Shipping Co Ltd, for a copy of their training procedures, performance management framework, bridge protection and ship safety, previous captain’s performance history as others deploy at Nagashiki Shipping Co Ltd, Forbes has not yet received this information .

In what has caused the biggest ecological disaster in the Indian Ocean, with the international regulator unaware of the consequences of this VLSFO fuel in tropical waters of a coral lagoon and the lack of transparency about what really happened to the single-hulled Wakashio, means that the eyes of the international media are likely to follow this story much longer.

A country wants answers, and now so it seems, the world does.