On Monday, Mauritius made greater efforts in an emergency to empty a ship of about 2,500 tons of oil stranded in Japan, which then disintegrated and increased pollution on the island’s Indian Ocean coastline.
The eastern coast of Mauritius has washed away more than 1,000 tons of fuel, polluting its coral reefs, protected lagoons and coastline. Strong winds and waves hit MV Wakashio, which showed signs of splitting, and dumped the remaining marine oil in the waters around Mauritius. The bulk carrier ran aground on the coral reef on July 25 and then began to leak oil.
The Office of the Prime Minister of Mauritius said on Monday that the situation is still very serious and that they are preparing for the "worst case".
Jean Hugues Gardenne, manager of the Mauritius Wildlife Fund, said: "We foresee the worst. The ship shows a big crack. We think it will be at any time in two days. Divided into two parts. There is too much oil left on the ship, so the disaster may get worse. The helicopter consumes fuel little by little."
French experts came from the nearby island of Réunion and were preparing booms to stop the new oil spill. France sent a warship, military planes and technical advisers after Mauritius called for international aid. Efforts have also been made to get other ships to pump oil out of the MV Wakashio.
On the same day, helicopters slowly airlifted fuel from the ship to shore by helicopter, but the turbulent sea and strong wind hindered efforts to extract more fuel from the cabin.
Prime Minister Pravind Jagannath said that the weather had fanned the oil slick in coastal areas and had improved enough to allow the barge to approach the ship and safely pump 500 tons of water on Monday.
He said at a press conference later on Monday that this left nearly 2,000 tons of oil on board.Jugnauth warned earlier that the cracks in the hull were increasing and that the ship was likely to crack.An emergency scientist who asked not to be named said: "We are in an advanced fracturing process. There is not much time for the bulk carrier."
Divers reported new cracks in the hull, while creaking was heard on the southeast coast, and a large-scale cleanup operation was underway to remove miles of sludge covering from the previously uncontaminated coastline of Mauritius. Japan sent a team of six people including Coast Guard members to assist. Its Japanese operator said that the ship has seeped more than 1,000 tons of water, causing immeasurable ecological damage to protected marine parks and fishing grounds, which are the backbone of Mauritius' economy.
According to Dowarkasing, the ship ran aground on July 25, but the work to unload the oil only started when the hull broke last week and started to discharge fuel into the sea.
The government of Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth is under increasing pressure to explain why it did not act immediately to avoid environmental disaster. Jugnauth has declared the oil spill a national emergency, but some residents said it was too late for him to act. The eastern coast of Mauritius has washed away more than 1,000 tons of fuel, polluting its coral reefs, protected lagoons and coastline.
Mauritius made greater efforts in an emergency to empty a ship of about 2,500 tons of oil stranded in Japan, which then disintegrated and increased pollution on the island’s Indian Ocean coastline.
The eastern coast of Mauritius has washed away more than 1,000 tons of fuel, polluting its coral reefs, protected lagoons and coastline. Strong winds and waves hit MV Wakashio, which showed signs of splitting, and dumped the remaining marine oil in the waters around Mauritius. The bulk carrier ran aground on the coral reef on July 25 and then began to leak oil.
The Office of the Prime Minister of Mauritius said on Monday that the situation is still very serious and that they are preparing for the "worst case".
Jean Hugues Gardenne, manager of the Mauritius Wildlife Fund, said: "We foresee the worst. The ship shows a big crack. We think it will be at any time in two days. Divided into two parts. There is too much oil left on the ship, so the disaster may get worse. The helicopter consumes fuel little by little."
French experts came from the nearby island of Réunion and were preparing booms to stop the new oil spill. France sent a warship, military planes and technical advisers after Mauritius called for international aid. Efforts have also been made to get other ships to pump oil out of the MV Wakashio. Helicopters slowly airlifted fuel from the ship to shore by helicopter, but the turbulent sea and strong wind hindered efforts to extract more fuel from the cabin.Jugnauth warned earlier that the cracks in the hull were increasing and that the ship was likely to crack.
An emergency scientist who asked not to be named said: "We are in an advanced fracturing process. There is not much time for the bulk carrier."
Divers reported new cracks in the hull, while creaking was heard on the southeast coast, and a large-scale cleanup operation was underway to remove miles of sludge covering from the previously uncontaminated coastline of Mauritius. Japan sent a team of six people including Coast Guard members to assist. Its Japanese operator said that the ship has seeped more than 1,000 tons of water, causing immeasurable ecological damage to protected marine parks and fishing grounds, which are the backbone of Mauritius' economy.
According to Dowarkasing, the ship ran aground on July 25, but the work to unload the oil only started when the hull broke last week and started to discharge fuel into the sea.
The government of Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth is under increasing pressure to explain why it did not act immediately to avoid environmental disaster. Jugnauth has declared the oil spill a national emergency, but some residents said it was too late for him to act.
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