- Mauritius has deployed its coastguard and armed forces after a Chinese-flagged trawler carrying 130 tonnes of oil ran aground off the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.
- Drone footage showed dark patches in the Indian Ocean waters near the “Lu Rong Yuan Yu 588.”
A Chinese-flagged fishing vessel with 16 crew members carrying 130 tonnes of oil has run aground off Mauritius, causing a minor spill, reports Reuters.
Oil tanker runs aground
The captain of the Lurong Yuan Yu issued distress calls late on Sunday afternoon and sent up flares after becoming stranded off Pointe-aux-Sables, in the northwest of the main island not far from the capital Port Louis.
On Monday, Fisheries Minister Sudheer Maudhoo said divers had found “no leak, no breach” in the hull of the ship and that efforts would be made to safely remove the fuel from the hold.
“The pumping operation will start tomorrow, and will last four to five days. The authorities will also try to refloat the fishing vessel,” he said.
The trawler carrieD 130 tonnes of fuel oil and five tonnes of lubricants, according to authorities.
Fuel lapping at shore
Traces of oil earlier spotted around the vessel were not “heavy oil” but possibly lubricants, he said.
Drone footage showed dark patches in the Indian Ocean waters near the boat. Residents told the AFP news agency they saw fuel lapping at the shore.
Floating containment lines have been deployed as a precaution while the coastguard and soldiers have been mobilised.
Maudhoo said an investigation had been launched into the cause of the accident and police had been on board the stricken vessel and seized documents.
Oil pumping underway
On Tuesday, workers began pumping oil from the vessel, according to the local newspaper, L’Express, adding that police helicopters are helping with the operation. It is expected to take up to five days to empty the ship and remove it from the reef.
It is the second shipwreck in less than a year off Mauritius after a tanker struck a reef in July last year with 1,000 tonnes of fuel leaking in the country’s worst environmental disaster.
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Source: Reuters
