On the 25th of July, a large bulk carrier ship named the MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off the coast of Mauritius and has since begun leaking tonnes of fuel into the surrounding waters.
The Japanese-owned, Panamanian registered ship was on route from Brazil to China. When it rammed into the coral reef, the boat was empty but contained 4,000 tonnes of fuel aboard. The oil is now being carried by the waves. The reef is an area of wetlands, worryingly close to a marine park. Greenpeace Africa has said that “thousands” of species are now at risk of drowning or being poisoned, with terrible effects for Mauritius’ economy, wildlife and health.
The island of Mauritius, which lies close to the French island of Reunion and Madagascar, has received support. The French Embassy on the island has said that Reunion will send a military aircraft to help. Emmanuel Macron tweeted, promising that “France is there alongside the people of Mauritius. You can count on our support.”
So far, cleanup has begun, and an oil boom has been deployed around the vessel, the latter enacted by the owner of the ship, Nagashiki Shipping. However, due to rough seas, attempts to stabilise the ship to pump the oil out have failed. Nagashiki Shipping has said that they ‘take their environmental responsibilities extremely seriously,” and have promised to “take every effort...to protect the marine environment.” The police have opened an inquiry into the nature of the spill.
The Mauritian government have said that they are insufficiently equipped to handle the problem. To donate to the cleaning up of the oil spill and the protection of the water, the local nonprofit Eco-Sud is raising money (link in our bio). Greta Thunberg also took to twitter to share the Fridays for Future Mauritius group’s appeal for resources. Additionally, the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation accepts donations.
Writer: Noah Mitchell
Artwork: Zara Masood
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