(5 minutes read)
· Experts are still taking stock of the damage on the shores of Mauritius , even after two months of oil slippage from the Japanese cargo ship, which struck aground while cruising near the island nation
· The impact of the oil spill was also mentioned by Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnaut in his address at the recent UN General Assembly session.
· He has called for a regional response to be put in action to avoid any further disasters in the future
Experts are still taking stock of the damage on the shores of Mauritius , even after two months of oil slippage from the Japanese cargo ship, which struck aground while cruising near the island nation. Preliminary estimates point out that the sensitive marine habitats have been severely damaged by the oil spill.
Conservationists say the spilled oil known as VLSFO has less viscosity and lower in sulphur than conventional fuel oil. The environmental impact of this new genre of oil is still to be properly assessed by environmentalists. That is the reason the team investigating the impact is taking time to come out with the report. Coming in the midst of Covid-19, the oil slippage would take its toll on the tourism industry in the country. The impact of the oil spill was also mentioned by Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnaut in his address at the recent UN General Assembly session.
He has called for a regional response to be put in action to avoid any further disasters in the future. It may be noted that a second oil spill had taken place a few weeks after in Sri Lanka. He underscored the need for a review of governance rules concerning movement of bunkers and tankers to help countries like Mauritius, which has a busy sea lane between the West and the far East.
The government has identified 26 affected sites around the coastline and commissioned the clean-up operations to French company Le Floch Depollution and Greek outfit Polyeco SA. The work, according to the government sources, is progressing and several thousand volunteers are tasked with the cleaning of the oil spill. The clean-up is divided into four phases. Some sites are already in the second or third stage. The government has been put on notice by protesters who thronged the streets on two occasions- August 29 and the last one on September 12- blaming the government for lack of speedy action to stem the rot.
