(4 minutes read)
· Mauritius, it seems, is now dealing with a second oil spill that has been going on since the last one week or so
· It was on account of a leak in a heavy fuel oil pipeline and storage tanks in the capital city of Port Louis, which has been storing oil from the recently sunken Japanese vessel, the Wakashio
· The pipeline and storage tanks were recently installed. In all fairness, both pipeline and storage tanks should have anti-leak and pressure detection systems in them
Mauritius, it seems, is now dealing with a second oil spill that has been going on since the last one week or so.
It was on account of a leak in a heavy fuel oil pipeline and storage tanks in the capital city of Port Louis, which has been storing oil from the recently sunken Japanese vessel, the Wakashio. The pipeline and storage tanks were recently been installed. In all fairness, both pipe line and storage tanks should have anti-leak and pressure detection systems in them.
There are conflicting reports about the extent of the leak. One report says that it has been identified and fixed. The cleanup operations are in progress. Some other reports indicated that the 30,000 gallons of oil has already been spilled, closer to the coastal area reclaimed through port dredging operation.
The local politicians are blaming the government officials for not sharing full information on the nature of the leak and the quantity of oil spilled. Also, there are still controversies regarding the nature of the oil carried in the Japanese cargo. Some say, it was not the usual variety of oil. So far, the owner of the ill- fated bottom did not come out with the details of the oil being carried by the ship. Environmentalists say the island nation has some of the rarest bird, coral and reptile species in the world due to the unique combination of its location, climate and geology. The extent of damage caused to the environment is still not out. The oil pipeline runs opposite to Mauritius’ main fish landing port in Port Louis that is mainly used for tuna fisheries.
