Japanese ship at centre of Mauritius oil spill breaks apart

Nearly 1,200 tonnes of fuel has leaked from the MV Wakashio after it struck a coral reef off the coast of Mauritius on 25 July. L'Express Maurice/AFP

Mauritian officials reported the condition of the MV Wakashio had seriously degraded early Saturday. By the afternoon, it had split in two.

“At around 4.30pm, a major detachment of the vessel’s forward section was observed,” said the Mauritius National Crisis Committee in a statement. “On the basis of the experts’ advice, the towing plan is being implemented.”

The MV #Wakashio split in two pieces today. #mauritius #oilspill pic.twitter.com/esI6zitfgF

— Guillaume Gouges (@guillaumegouges) August 15, 2020

The 203,000 tonne Japanese-registered bulk carrier struck a coral reef off Mauritius on 25 July spilling about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil and endangering corals, fish and other marine life in what some scientists have called the country’s worst ecological disaster.

On Friday, some residual oil from the ship leaked into the Indian Ocean, said Jacqueline Sauzier, the president of Mauritius Marine Conservation Society. "Booms have been placed around the ship to contain the spill," she added.

Video📽👇🏽of #Wakashio ard 4:00am GMT
Salvage team, coast guards & more working on ship responsible for #Mauritiusoilspill
600m of floating #booms (total ard. 4km) installed around ship to absorb residual oil - ard 90 tons - still in ship#Tugboats to start towing broken part away pic.twitter.com/7sguW6yBme

— zeenat hansrod (@zxnt) August 15, 2020

Koizumi said he regarded the oil spill as a crisis that could lead to a loss of biodiversity.

• Oil spill in Mauritius may thwart years of conservation efforts

Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, the prime minister of Mauritius, asked for help from France, the former colonial ruler, on 7 August.

#Japan's MV #Wakashio responsible for #MauritiusOilSpill
📸 taken at ard 12:00 GMT in south east #Mauritius
Approx. 50 tons #oil retrieved today out of remaining 90tons
Tugboats positioned ard ship ready to tow broken parts 1,000 #nautical miles away from shores of Mauritius pic.twitter.com/03orvuF7eM

— zeenat hansrod (@zxnt) August 15, 2020

French president Emmanuel Macron responded to the request by dispatching military and civilian equipment as well as personnel from France's overseas territory of Réunion.