Off Mauritius, the crisis is not quite over. While the Prime Minister wanted to be reassuring about the pumping of fuel oil, fuel began to flow again this Friday from the boat stranded for three weeks near the island. At the same time, questions are growing as to why the ship was able to come so close to the coast.
The bulk carrier MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese shipowner, ran aground on July 25 on a reef at Pointe d'Esny, in the south-east of Mauritius, with 3,800 tonnes of fuel oil and 200 tonnes of diesel at edge.
Totally soiled ribs
A week later, between 800 and 1,000 tons of fuel oil escaped from its gutted blanks and soiled the coasts, particularly protected areas with mangrove forests and endangered species.
Response teams raced against time to pump out the rest of the fuel, as the boat threatened to break at any moment.
A "predictable" leak
On Wednesday evening, the Mauritian authorities announced that all the fuel oil in the tanks had been pumped out and that only 100 tonnes remained on the boat, especially in the hold.
It is this remainder that began to flow on Friday. "According to experts, this kind of leak was predictable and is due to the way the boat twists and deforms," said in a statement the crisis committee set up to manage the oil spill.
"Since this morning, the water has turned black again around the Wakashio", explained a local fisherman, Alain François. "The authorities explained to us that it is the waves which penetrate the boat, which bring up the fuel oil in the hold," he added.
A flow that will be captured
A source working on the clean-up operation explained, on condition of anonymity, that this new leak came from the engine room, where it is impossible to pump.
“You can't enter that part of the ship. It's too dangerous. There are risks of suffocation, ”she explained.
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But according to this source, the flow should be captured by the floating socks made by the thousands of Mauritian volunteers who have mobilized to limit the ecological disaster.
Additional material intended to contain this new leak was sent to the site and a boat specializing in pollution control will soon arrive in the area, said the crisis committee.
An open investigation
The Mauritian government has been accused of negligence, with people wondering why so little had been done between the time the MV Wakashio ran aground and the onset of the leak.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth felt that no mistake had been made and refused to apologize. "The investigation will be able to determine the causes of this accident, the reasons why the boat approached so close to our coasts and ran aground", he argued.
In a letter sent Thursday to the owner and the Japanese owner of the boat, Greenpeace said that "several unanswered questions" remained.
"Why was your ship sailing so dangerously close to the reefs?" Why have you done so little since the boat ran aground? What are you going to do to reduce the environmental damage, and the pain and suffering of those whose lives depend on it? “Asked the NGO.
The owner of the bulk carrier, Nagashiki Shipping, said in a statement "to be deeply aware of (his) responsibilities" and pledged to respond "sincerely" to requests for compensation.