France sends aid to Mauritius to prevent environmental catastrophe

As Mauritius declared an environmental emergency on Saturday following a ship that ran aground two weeks ago, France dispatched aircraft and technical advisers from neighbouring Reunion. Ecologists fear the oil spill may worsen and turn out to be potentially catastrophic for the island nation.

This August 7, 2020, handout satellite image obtained courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows the oil tanker MV Wakashio aground off the Mauritius coast. - Mauritius on August 6, 2020, announced that oil was leaking from the Wakashio which ran aground off Pointe d'Esny on July 25, sparking fears among green campaigners of an environmental disaster. "The ministry has been informed... that there is a breach in the vessel MV Wakashio and there is a leakage of oil," the environment ministry said in a statement. The ship was empty at the time but was carrying 200 tonnes of diesel and 3,800 tonnes of bunker fuel, according to the local press. © AFP PHOTO / Satellite image 2020 Maxar Technologies

Rough seas have hampered efforts to stop fuel leaking from the bulk carrier MV Wakashio, which ran aground two weeks ago, and is polluting pristine waters in an ecologically critical marine area off the southeast coast.

"A state of environmental emergency has been declared," Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth posted on his Twitter account late Friday.

“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," said Pravind Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius.https://t.co/Ou2dwy3wVr

— The Quint (@TheQuint) August 8, 2020

The tanker, belonging to a Japanese company, was carrying 3,800 tonnes of fuel when it struck a reef at Pointe d'Esny, an internationally-listed conservation site near the turquoise waters of the Blue Bay marine park.

The environment ministry announced this week that oil had begun seeping from the hull, as volunteers rushed to the coast to prepare for the worst.

Ecologists fear the ship could further break up, causing an even greater leak and inflict potentially catastrophic damage on the island nation's coastline, which forms the backbone of Mauritius' economy.

The 'MV Wakashio' near Mauritius' Blue Bay. (6 August 2020) Dev Ramkhelawon / L'Express Maurice / AFP

Poor weather hampers salvage efforts

Leaking oil has already damaged the coral reefs, lagoons and white-sand shores upon which Mauritius has built its reputation as a green tourism destination. Aerial images showed the scale of the damage, with huge stretches of azure sea stained black by the spill.

A spokesman at Mitsui OSK Lines, which operates the vessel, said fuel was being airlifted by helicopter from the stricken bulker to shore but poor weather was complicating matters.

Mauritius' Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a state of environmental emergency on Friday as the Indian ocean island battled to contain an oil spill. https://t.co/gEgbjlbkgV

— dpa news agency (@dpa_intl) August 7, 2020

"We tried to place a containment boom near the ship but it's not working well due to high waves," the spokesman told the French AFP news agency in Tokyo on Saturday. Some of the fuel was in separate tanks and may not be at risk of leaking, he added.

Urgent appeal for help from France

Prime Minister Jugnauth, after touring the disaster site, expressed fears the crisis could worsen with bad weather forecast over the weekend. He made an urgent appeal for help.

"The sinking of the Wakashio represents a danger for Mauritius. Our country does not have the skills and expertise to refloat stranded ships, so I have requested the help of France" and its president, Emmanuel Macron.

In a statement issued Saturday, the French embassy in Mauritius said a military aircraft from the nearby French Indian Ocean island of Reunion would make two trips to the disaster area with pollution control equipment. Two experts would also be aboard, the statement added.

Twenty crew members were evacuated safely from the ship when it ran aground on 25 July.