Enlarge image
The MW Wakashio suffered an accident in July 2020 off Mauritius
Photo: STRINGER / AFP
The captain of the freighter "MW Wakashio", which triggered the worst oil spill in the history of the island of Mauritius in July 2020, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison.
According to the judicial authorities in Port Louis, the Indian captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar testified that he had "had a few glasses" before the shipwreck and therefore did not notice that the ship was so close to the island.
Nandeshwar's deputy Hitihanillage Subhoda Janendra Tilakaratna from Sri Lanka was also sentenced to 20 months in prison for endangering the safety of the sea. The court considered that the two defendants pleaded guilty. According to Kushal Lobine, who represented the ship insurer Japan P&I, the two convicts were released from the remaining sentence of four months imprisonment for good conduct and the 16-month pre-trial detention. Both men could return to their home countries shortly, Lobine said.
A year and a half ago, the Japanese ship ran aground on a coral reef in the southeast of Mauritius while sailing from Singapore to Brazil.
Around a thousand tons of heavy oil leaked into the crystal clear water.
The captain testified that a birthday party had taken place on board the ship and that he had "drunk a small amount of alcohol".
He attributed the shipwreck to the fact that he had given instructions to enter the waters of Mauritius to get in touch with the cell phone network.
Thousands took part in the cleanup
Mauritius depends on its waters - for feeding the population and for tourism.
The island has some of the most beautiful coral reefs on earth, including the expert-known Blue Bay reef and the Pointe d'Esny with its mangroves.
Thousands of Mauritius residents helped clean up the oil spill.
The Minister for Fisheries, Sudheer Maudhoo, announced on Sunday that several hundred workers in the fisheries sector should be paid the equivalent of 2280 euros in compensation each.
The wreck of the crashed ship finally broke in two parts.
The greater part is now 15 kilometers off the coast of the island.
The recovery of the stern, which is still stuck to the reef, had to be interrupted several times due to poor weather conditions.
jso / AFP