CAPE TOWN, August 11 (ANA) - The Japanese cargo ship, which ran aground more than two weeks ago off the coast of Mauritius, has stopped leaking oil after more than 1 million kilograms of oil (1 000 tons) invaded the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean.
The Mauritian government has declared a state of ecological emergency and Mauritians and conservation agencies alike are blaming the government for its slow response.
Authorities now face a race against the clock until the ship breaks apart and releases its 4 000 tons of oil, putting the world’s largest wetland, thousands of species, and the livelihoods of Mauritians in danger.
How did it reach this point?
On July 25, the Japanese cargo ship MV Wakashio, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and operated by Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), ran aground on the Pointe d’Esny coral reefs off the southern coast of the island, according to conservation NGO Mongabay and Reuters.
The condition of the ship continued to deteriorate and by August 6 the ship started to leak oil as battering waves cracked its hull, leading the Mauritian government to declare a state of emergency by August 7.
In the five days that followed, at least 1 000 tons of oil leaked into the ocean.
Although the government said the leaking had stopped, fears are rising because the ship initially contained 4 000 tons of oil, according to the BBC and Al Jazeera.
On Monday Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth informed the public that 500 tons of oil had been safely removed,
According to Seatrade Maritime News, today 1 020 tons of oil had been removed, with salvage operations being led by Smit International,
MV Wakashio has no other cargo on board and was originally destined for Brazil, reported Mongabay.
Japan's ClassNK inspection body said today that the ship had passed the annual inspection in March with no defects, according to Reuters.
A race against the clock
"The salvage team has observed several cracks in the ship hull, which means that we are facing a very serious situation," Jugnauth stated in a televised national address on Monday, Al Jazeera reported.
"We should prepare for a worst-case scenario. It is clear that at some point the ship will fall apart," he continued.
Some Mauritians are now blaming the government for its ineffective response to the worst ecological disaster in the island’s history.
Sunil Diwarkasing, an environmental consultant, told Al Jazeera that the Mauritian government was taking advice from the company as opposed to prioritising the best interests of its citizens.
MOL had set up a task force in co-operation with Japanese and Mauritian authorities, Reuters reported.
“We will do our utmost towards resolving the situation quickly,” MOL said in a statement.
"Nagashiki Shipping deeply apologises to the people of Mauritius and will do their utmost to protect the environment and mitigate the effects of the pollution," MV Wakashio’s owner said in a statement, according to Al Jazeera.
MOL’s spokesperson said a team of experts was expected to arrive today if they tested negative for Covid-19.
Greece, France, several other countries and NGOs had all added to relief efforts, Mongabay reported.
Community mobilises
Mauritians have disregarded their government’s advice and have resorted to combating the oil themselves by making barriers out of straw from nearby fields and combining tubes with hair, and have started cleaning up the beaches since the weekend, according to the BBC.
Environmental activist Ashok Subron said on Sunday: "People have realised that they need to take things into their hands. We are here to protect our fauna and flora.”
Sebastian Sauvage of EcoSud Mauritius says he cannot comprehend why the government does not have an adequate response plan, considering that it is the third ship to run aground in five years in Mauritius's ocean.
Greenpeace Africa pledged its solidarity with the affected community and called on the UN and all governments to collaborate with relief efforts in light of the dire consequences it will have on all who inhabit the island.
“There is no guaranteed safe way to extract, transport and store fossil fuel products. This oil leak is not a twist of fate, but the choice of our twisted addiction to fossil fuels. We must react by accelerating our withdrawal from fossil fuels,” Greenpeace Africa’s senior climate and energy campaign manager Happy Khambule said in a statement.
“The world cannot absorb any new fossil fuel developments if we are to tackle the climate crisis, and this unfortunate event shows exactly why we need to move away from oil, coal and gas,” Landry Ninteretse, Africa managing director of 350.org, said in a statement today.
Coral reefs are home to a quarter of the world's marine life, providing a safe haven for sea life to reproduce, feed and find shelter, according to EcoWatch
All 1.3 million Mauritians rely solely on the environmentally protected land for food and for the income generated from tourism, according to Africanews.
The African Development Bank Group reported that tourist arrivals were expected to surpass 1.2 million a year on the island.
- African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher