Mauritius is struggling to contain the massive oil spill from MV Wakashio Ship for the past few days. It struck a coral reef off the island on 25 July 2020.
This is a great threat not only to Mauritius economy but also to the ecological balance as a whole. Despite efforts from crew members and some of the volunteers who are involved in cleaning up the waters are struggling a lot to contain the oil spill. It is estimated that around 1000 tonnes of crude oil have flown into waters.
MV Wakashio Ship Oil Spill has started just a few days back. But the damage caused by now is extreme. Tremendous efforts from the Mauritius government to stabilise the vessel are in vain till now. Further ways are being searched to pump out the remaining 3,000 tonnes of crude oil inside the ship.
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The exact location of the oil leak where the ship got damaged is at Pointe d’Esny, a region which is a home of sanctuaries for rare and endemic wildlife in Mauritius.
Mauritius, a country which is primarily dependent on tourism for wealth and seafood for their livelihood has failed to control the MV Wakashio Ship Oil Spill. It is great damage to the country in many aspects and for its future too.
The dense sludge caused by the oil spill is fast spreading to the thriving lagoons, aquatic habitats and white-sand beaches in the archipelago.
Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has declared an “environmental emergency” to contain the damage caused by the oil spill. He has convened a crisis committee meeting which will meet and discuss the further course of action in case of bad weather which could result in the ship breakage. If any such incident takes place, the experts warn that the damage caused to nature could be catastrophic.
MV Wakashio is owned by Nagashiki Shipping Company and operated by Japanese transport company Mitsui OSK Lines.