It is a battle against time and the sea. After the freight accident off Mauritius, as much fuel as possible is pumped out. But it is already clear: the vacation paradise will need years to recover from it.
Tokyo / Port Louis (dpa) - Japan has given full support to the vacation paradise because of the oil disaster in Mauritius caused by a domestic freighter.
The freighter "Wakashio", which ran aground on a coral reef off the southeast coast of the island state in the Indian Ocean about two weeks ago, is causing great "worry and trouble," said Japanese Transport Minister Kazuyoshi Akaba on Tuesday in Tokyo. His government will give Mauritius "full support". The day before, Japan sent a six-person team of experts to the island nation.
The ship is located about two kilometers from the mainland in a lagoon near several nature reserves. Last Thursday there was a crack in one of the tanks, whereupon oil leaked. The island nation in the Indian Ocean then declared an environmental emergency. When asked why the oil had not been pumped out before the crack, Atsushi Hara from the operating company Mitsui OSK Lines said that getting the aground ship back on the road was initially the top priority. However, this was thwarted due to adverse weather, according to the owner, Nagashiki Shipping.
The authorities in Mauritius are meanwhile working flat out to contain the oil disaster. Fuel will be pumped out of the water, from the crashed freighter and from the coast, said government advisor Ken Arian of the dpa on Monday. However, strong winds and high waves made the work more difficult. In addition, the oil has already caused enormous damage: "This is the worst ecological disaster Mauritius has ever seen." The Japanese freighter had around 4,000 tons of fuel on board.
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