Mauritius declares emergency as stranded ship spills fuel
JOHANNESBURG: The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius declared a “state of environmental emergency” after a Japanese-owned ship that ran aground offshore days ago began spilling tonnes of fuel.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced the development late on Friday as satellite images showed a dark slick spreading in the turquoise waters near environmental areas that the government called “very sensitive”.
Mauritius has said the ship was carrying nearly 4,000 tonnes of fuel and cracks had appeared in its hull.
Earlier in the day, Jugnauth said his government was appealing to France for help as the spill “represents a danger” for the country of some 1.3 million people, which relies heavily on tourism and has been hit hard by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our country doesn’t have the skills and expertise to refloat stranded ships, so I have appealed for help from France and President Emmanuel Macron,” he said.
Jugnauth shared a photo of the vessel, the MV Wakashio, tilted precariously.
“Sea rough beyond the reefs with swells. Ventures in the open seas are not advised,” said the Mauritius Meteorological Services.
Videos posted online showed oily waters lapping at the shore as people murmured and peered at the ship in the distance. Online ship trackers showed that the Panama-flagged bulk carrier had been en route from China to Brazil.
The French island of Reunion is the closest neighbour to Mauritius, and France’s Foreign Ministry says France is Mauritius’s “leading foreign investor” and one of its largest trading partners.
“We are in a situation of environmental crisis,” the environment minister of Mauritius, Kavy Ramano, said, calling the Blue Bay Marine Park and other areas near the leaking ship “very sensitive”.
A police inquiry has been opened into issues such as possible negligence, a government statement said.