PORT-LOUIS | The bulk carrier MV Wakashio stranded since July 25 on a reef in Mauritius was on the verge of breaking in two on Saturday, and an “important piece” has already detached from the hull, the Mauritian government announced.
• Read also: All the fuel evacuated from the beached boat, a second oil spill avoided
• Read also: Mauritius, a paradise threatened by an oil spill
The rescue team of this vessel belonging to a Japanese owner estimated that its condition “worsens and that it could break at any time,” said a statement from the crisis committee set up by the government to manage this. disaster.
There remained Saturday 90 tons of oil on board and, at 4:30 p.m., we observed the detachment of a large piece at the front of the ship, according to the committee.
It indicates that coastguard boats are standing by to intervene with equipment to absorb the oil that could escape in the event of a break in the MV Wakashio in two parts.
The weather forecast is counting on bad weather “in the days to come with waves reaching a maximum height of 4 m to 5 m”, adds the crisis committee.
The bulk carrier ran aground on July 25 on a reef at Pointe d’Esny, in the south-east of Mauritius, with 3,800 tonnes of fuel oil and 200 tonnes of diesel on board.
A week later, between 800 and 1000 tonnes of fuel oil escaped from its gutted flanks and soiled the coasts, especially protected areas with mangrove forests and endangered species.
Response teams raced against time to pump out the rest of the fuel, as the boat threatened to break at any moment.
On Wednesday evening, the Mauritian authorities announced that all the fuel oil contained in the tanks had been pumped out and that only 100 tons remained on the boat, especially in the hold.
This remainder began to flow on Friday. “According to experts, this kind of leak was predictable and is due to the way the boat twists and deforms”, according to the crisis committee.
The Mauritian government has been accused of negligence, with the population questioning why so little had been done between the time the MV Wakashio ran aground and the appearance of the leak.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth felt that no mistake had been made and refused to apologize.