The grounded Japanese ship that leaked tonnes of oil near protected areas off the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius has split apart, officials said on Saturday, with remaining fuel spreading into the turquoise waters.
Photographs posted on social media by the cleanup effort with support of the Mauritian Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change show the ship in two pieces, “and the tugboats are already at work.”
Oil barriers were in place and a skimmer ship was nearby.
Photo: AFP
Most if not all the remaining 2,721.6 tonnes of fuel had been pumped off the ship in the past week, although there were still 90 tonnes on board, much of it residue from the leakage, as environmental groups warned that the damage to coral reefs and once-pristine coastal areas could be irreversible.
The MV Wakashio struck a reef on July 25 and its hull began to crack after days of pounding waves. About 907 tonnes of fuel began to leak on Aug. 6.
Officials had been preparing for the ship to break up for days, and images taken on Saturday indicated it was inevitable, with the two pieces only partially attached.
The salvage team intends to pull the front two-thirds of the ship out to sea using two tugboats and let it sink to avoid further damage to the Mauritian coastline, said a police official in the capital, Port Louis, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The remaining portion is still stuck on the reef and officials have not yet determined how they might remove it, the police official said.
The weather is expected to become rougher in the coming days, the government said in a statement on Saturday night.
Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth’s government is under pressure to explain why immediate action was not taken to empty the ship of its fuel. It is seeking compensation from Nagashiki Shipping.
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