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by Shenaz Patel and David Constantin Agence France-Presse In normal times, Bruneau Laurette spends his days providing armed escort to ships dodging pirates as they head through the Indian Ocean. But in recent weeks, the maritime security expert has surged into a new role: the voice of a nation’s anger after an oil spill soiled the coast of his native Mauritius. The disaster occurred after a 100,000-tonne Japanese bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, ran aground on […]
PORT LOUIS, Mauritius (AFP) — Tens of thousands of Mauritians protested Saturday in the capital Saint-Louis over the government’s handling of a giant oil spill off its pristine Indian Ocean coast. The Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio crashed into a reef off southeastern Mauritius last month spewing more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into waters that are home to mangrove forests and endangered species. After the boat split in two, the larger piece was towed […]
PORT LOUIS, Mauritius (AFP) — Eighteen melon-headed whales washed up on the shores of Mauritius on Wednesday, the country’s fisheries minister said, dismissing any link to a devastating oil spill earlier this month. The whales, some of which were still alive when they were found and later died, were stranded on the south-eastern beaches of Grand Sable, and some of them had injuries. Fisheries minister Sudheer Maudhoo told a press conference that all 18 of the […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The major oil spill caused by a Japanese ship that ran aground in Mauritius may pose a long-term threat to the region’s ecology, including to the Indian Ocean island’s delicate mangroves, Japanese experts said Tuesday. The bulk carrier MV Wakashio crashed into a reef last month spewing more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into pristine waters that are home to mangrove forests and endangered species. After the boat split in two, […]
PORT LOUIS, Mauritius (AFP) — Salvage crews on Thursday began the process of sinking the broken stem of a Japanese-owned ship which ran aground off Mauritius, leading to a major oil spill and ecological disaster for the Indian Ocean island. The MV Wakashio broke into two on Sunday, after a race against the clock to pump all the remaining oil off the bulk carrier which ran aground last month and began leaking black fuel into idyllic […]
NARITA, Japan (AFP) — A new team of experts left Japan for Mauritius on Wednesday with special oil-absorbent materials to help the clean-up of tonnes of oil that leaked from a Japanese-owned ship. “The oil leak from the stranded ship has caused severe damage to the people of Mauritius, the economy of which largely relies on tourism and the beautiful ocean,” environment ministry official Yukihiro Haisa told reporters before the departure. “I am terribly distressed.” […]
PORT LOUIS, Mauritius (AFP) — Police in Mauritius on Sunday prepared to board a grounded ship leaking tonnes of oil into its crystal-clear waters, as clean-up crews confronted a growing ecological disaster on the archipelago’s pristine shores. The bulk carrier MV Wakashio has been seeping fuel into a protected marine park boasting unspoiled coral reefs, mangrove forests and endangered species, prompting Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth to declare an environmental emergency and appeal for international help. Attempts […]
