Polluting paradise

Crisis in Mauritius as tanker stuck on reef leaks oil into ocean

MAURITIUS is dealing with an ecological disaster as oil leaking from a stricken tanker turns its crystal-clear waters black.

The paradise island in the Indian Ocean has declared an environmental emergency after the MV Wakashio hit a coral reef, spilling 1,000 tonnes of its cargo.

The Japanese bulk carrier was sailing from China to Brazil when it ran aground off the coast on July 25.

Aerial shots of the island nation, which relies on tourism, reveal the shocking extent of the growing slick that is threatening wildlife and undoing years of painstaking conservation work.

France is sending help from nearby Reunion island and President Emmanuel Macron said:

“When biodiversity is in peril, there is urgency to act.”

But some fear the damage is already done.

As the slick spreads, thick sludge has coated mangrove forests and inlets up and down the coastline. And driven by strong winds and currents, the slick is drifting further up the coast.

Vassen Kauppaymuthoo, an oceanographer and environmental engineer, said: “I think it’s already too late.

“If the ship breaks in two, the situation will be out of control. We’re talking about a major disaster and it’s getting more complicated hour by hour.”

Pressure is mounting on the government to explain why more was not done in the two weeks since the ship ran aground.

The opposition has called for the environment and fisheries ministers to resign, while volunteers ignored an official order to leave the clean-up to local authorities, sifting through the sludge in rubber gloves.

Sunil Dowarkasing, an environmental consultant and former MP, said:

“This is no longer a threat to our environment, it is a full-blown ecological disaster that has affected one of the most environmentally important parts of Mauritius, the Mahebourg Lagoon. The people of Mauritius, thousands, have come out to try to prevent as much damage as possible.”

He said the oil is not only floating in the lagoon, it’s already washing up on the shore, making the situation even more challenging.

And he added: “We’ve never seen anything like this in Mauritius.” Happy Khambule, an adviser with Greenpeace Africa, said: “Thousands of species are at risk.”

Police boarded the Japaneseowned, Panamanianflagged Wakashio on Sunday and seized its log book and black box as part of their probe. The ship’s operator, Mitsui OSK Lines, has apologised for the disaster.