Mauritius Oil Spill Threatens Ecological Disaster, Emergency Declared, Calls For Urgent Help Made

The prime minister of Mauritius declared a state of environmental emergency. He appealed to France for urgent assistance as oil from a grounded cargo ship spilled unabated into the island nation's protected waters. Rough seas have hampered efforts to stop fuel leaking from the bulk carrier, MV Wakashio. Owned by the Nagashiki Shipping Company, it struck the reef on Mauritius's southeast coast on July 25. The tanker, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, 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. More than 1,000 tonnes of fuel has already seeped from the bulk carrier. “I think it’s already too late. If the ship breaks in two, the situation will be out of control,” Vassen Kauppaymuthoo, an oceanographer and environmental engineer, told AFP. Environmental group Greenpeace said the spill was to likely to be one of the worst ecological crises Mauritius has ever seen. Mauritius, famous for its pristine beaches, is popular with tourists who reportedly, last year contributed 63 billion Mauritius rupees ($1.6bn) to the economy.