The captain and mate of MW Wakashio, a ship whose grounding caused the worst oil spill ever on the coast of Mauritius in 2020, were sentenced on Monday to 20 months in prison, we learned. to the court which tried them.
“The court took into consideration that both defendants pleaded guilty and apologized.
The sentence handed down is 20 months in prison, ”said judge Ida Dookhy Rambarrun.
The Japanese bulk carrier ran aground on July 25, 2020 on a coral reef in the south-east of Mauritius, releasing more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil into its crystal-clear waters.
The Indian captain, Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, who admitted during the hearing that he had been drinking at a party organized on the ship, was found guilty, as was his second Sri Lankan Hitihanillage Subhoda Janendra Tilakaratna, of "Endangering the safety of navigation" by a court in Port-Louis.
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Terrible oil spill on the coast of Mauritius
The MW Wakashio, under the Panamanian flag, was en route from Singapore to Brazil, with 3,800 tonnes of fuel oil and 200 tonnes of diesel on board, which quickly began to leak but the majority of which could be pumped.
"A birthday party had taken place on board and I had consumed alcohol in moderation," said the captain during his trial, adding that he had given instructions to approach Mauritian waters in order to capture the telephone network. , to allow crew members to contact their families.
"The ship had touched the seabed"
“The sea was bad but the visibility was clear and the navigation could be done in safety (…) At one point, the ship could not move and had touched the seabed,” he added.
“As I had had a few drinks, it didn't seem useful to intervene and it didn't occur to me that we were sailing so close”.
Both defendants apologized for the accident.
Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, the captain of the boat, was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
(Rishi ETWAROO / L'Express Maurice / AFP) AFP
This oil spill was the worst maritime pollution in the history of the country which depends on its waters for its food security and for ecotourism, in an area which is among the most beautiful coral reefs in the world.
From the first days, the inhabitants had mobilized, working tirelessly with makeshift means, to contain the pollution.
In the months that followed, thousands of people demonstrated on the island, criticizing in particular the government's handling of the oil spill.
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