Pictures of the boat which ran aground on July 25 in south-east Mauritius spilling over a thousand tonnes of oil have been released showing it had split in half.
The Japanese-owned ship MV Wakashio had been shattered on a reef at Pointe d'Esny causing the huge oil spill in the area which is an internationally classified ecological gem.
Advert
Luckily, Pravind Jugnauth, the prime minister of Mauritius, has announced that almost all of the remaining fuel oil in the ship has been pumped out which should prevent another spill from occurring.
It's believed that the MV Wakashio was carrying approximately 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil when ran aground at the area which is a known sanctuary for rare wildlife, hitting one of the coral reefs that tourists flock to Mauritius every year to see. Or did, before Covid-19.
The fuel has now been transferred to shore by helicopter and to another ship owned by the same Japanese firm, Nagashiki Shipping.
Advert
According to the BBC, to help clear up the spill, France has sent a military aircraft equipped with pollution-control equipment from Réunion, a nearby French department in the Indian Ocean, while Japan has sent a six-member team to assist the French clean-up efforts.
The Mauritius coast guard and several police units have also been deployed to the site in the south-east of the island. Shiva Cooten, a spokesperson for the police, said that the teams 'still have work to do but the situation is all under control', while police chief Khemraj Servansing said that cracks in the ship 'keep increasing'.
He added: "It is difficult to say when it will break but we have a boom deployment plan with the French Navy helping and we have made provisions for high sea booms."
The Prime Minister has thanked government departments, international organisations, friendly countries, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector and the local community for their roles in the response, acknowledging the hundreds of Mauritians who have joined clean-up efforts, crafting and deploying booms and bringing in food for the helpers.
Topics: World News, News, world
