Oil spill off Mauritius south coast

Posted on 7 August 2020

A giant bulk carrier ran aground on a coral reef off Mauritius on July 25. Fuel is leaking from the ship and impacting the island nation’s marine ecosystem.

The ship is still stuck on a reef to the southeast of the island, according to Splash24.

The public, fishermen and boat operators have been ordered by local authorities not to visit the beach and lagoon of Blue Bay, Mahebourg and Pointe d’Esny according to Splash24. 

The boat is owned by a Japanese company called Nagashiki Shipping. It was on its way to Brazil from China when it hit the reef. Its last port of call was Singapore, according to the Minister of Environment, Kavydass Ramano.

Ramano said in a statement that the ship is 300m in length and 50m in diameter. The ship is carrying 3894 metric tons of low-sulphur fuel oil, 207 metric tons of diesel and 90 metric tons of lubricant oil. He explained that there are 20 crew onboard and no cargo.

Reunion is in the process of helping Mauritius clean up the spill according to Bloomberg.

Images of the azure waters discolouring from the oil have been shared on social media.

Image credit: Twitter/ @Ariel_Saramandi




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