A 300-meter-long Japanese freighter went aground off the south-east coast of Mauritius almost three weeks ago. At least 1000 tons of fuel flowed into the lagoon off Pointe d'Esny. It is still unclear how much oil is left in the tanks.
Port Louis (AP) - The freighter "Wakashio", which was wrecked off Mauritius, has apparently broken apart. The news portal "lemauricien" reported on this on Saturday. The front part is now being towed very slowly, said Alain Donat from the Ministry of Shipping, according to the website.
The 300-meter-long Japanese freighter ran aground off the south-east coast of Mauritius around three weeks ago. For days he was lashed by the waves of the raging sea - until one of his tanks tore. More than 1000 tons of fuel flowed into the lagoon off Pointe d'Esny.
The independent environmental consultant Sunil Korwarkasing confirmed to the German press agency, citing drone images, that the ship broke in two.
While emergency services and thousands of volunteers try to remove the oil in a race against time, the government is already calling it the worst ecological disaster Mauritius has ever experienced.
On Thursday, the owner, Nagashiki Shipping, reported that almost the entire remaining 3,000 tons of oil had been removed from the ship. However, it was unclear on Saturday how much oil was left in the tanks.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200815-99-181048 / 2
Report on lemauricia