Mauritius battles to contain oil spill amid warnings damaged ship could break up

MV Wakashio, belonged to a Japanese company but was Panamanian-flagged (Picture: L'Express Maurice/AFP via Getty Images)

An oil tanker that ran aground off the coast of Mauritius could break up, the country's Prime Minister has said - deepening the island's environmental catastrophe.

More than 1,000 tonnes of oil has already spilled from the MV Wakashio, polluting the sea off the south-east coast of the Indian Ocean island, as well as its beaches, lagoons and coral reefs.

And the disaster could still get worse, Mauritius' leader said on Sunday night.

With 2,500 tonnes of oil still in the vessel, which first ran aground on July 25 but only began to leak about a week ago, there are fears the boat could break in half.

Pravind Jugnauth told reporters: “The cracks have grown. The situation is even worse. The risk of the boat breaking in half still exists.”

Bystanders look at MV Wakashio bulk carrier that had run aground and from which oil is leaking near Blue Bay Marine Park in south-east Mauritius (L'Express Maurice/AFP via Getty)

Thousands of local volunteers have been trying to keep the oil from the beaches, while salvage teams from Japan and France have worked to stem the flow of oil from the tanker.

Mitsui OSK lines, which operates but does not own MV Wakashio, said it was "terribly sorry" for the incident and would make "all-out efforts to resolve the case".

But some have said that with so much damage already done, it is already too late.

The incident has sparked fears among green campaigners of an environmental disaster (AFP via Getty Images)

Former Mauritius MP and environmental consultant Sunil Dowarkasing said: "This is no longer a threat to our environment, it is a full-blown ecological disaster that has affected one of the most environmentally important parts of Mauritius, the Mahebourg Lagoon.

“The people of Mauritius, thousands and thousands, have come out to try to prevent as much damage as possible."

Happy Khambule, a senior campaign manager at Greenpeace Africa, added: “Thousands of species around the pristine lagoons of Blue Bay, Pointe d’Esny and Mahebourg are at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution, with dire consequences for Mauritius’ economy, food security and health."

Others have asked why the government did not step in immediately when the boat ran aground.

A containment boom collecting oil leaking from the MV Wakashio (AP)

“That’s the big question,” Jean Hugues Gardenne, of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, told The Associated Press.

“Why that ship has been sitting for long on that coral reef and nothing being done.”