Three Quarters of Fuel Pumped Out from Grounded Mauritius Tanker

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  • Almost all of the remaining bunker fuel on board the bulk carrier that ran aground in Mauritius last month has now been pumped off the vessel, according to its owner.
  • About 3,000 mt of fuel in total was recovered from the Wakashio, charterer Mitsui OSK Lines said in a statement on its website.
  • About 1,000 mt was leaked from the ship, and a specialist team using skimmers, pumps and absorbents are still working to clean this up and limit the environmental impact.
  • The ship ran aground on July 25 and is no longer able to navigate. A tug has been brought to the scene to prevent the vessel from drifting.

Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) on 13 August published a third update on grounded bulk carrier MV Wakashio, reports Manifold Times.

The update details further action that the companies and authorities involved plan to implement to clean-up the oil spill following the successful removal of all oil onboard.

Tokyo-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. received the following information from Nagashiki Shipping Co. Ltd.(Nagashiki) who is the owners and managers of bulk carrier Wakashio and Time Chartered to MOL.

Situation of leaked Fuel Oil (As of August 12 Local Time)

  • As of July 25, Local time, when the vessel ran aground, she had approximately 3,800 MT of Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil(VLSFO) and 200 MT of Diesel Oil(DO) onboard.
  • Approximately all quantity(Estimated around 3,000MT) of oil remaining onboard, except for the 1,000MT which had leaked out has been recovered from the vessel and transferred to small tankers by August 12 Local Time.
  • There are still oil spills remaining in the sea and the coast which are to be recovered. A skilled oil spill response team has been activated and equipped with specialist spill remediation equipment. Including skimmers, pumps and absorbents to contain and clean-up the oil in compliance with regulation and in line with the local authorities’ guidance.

Situation of the Vessel

  • The crack of the hull has expanded again.
  • The vessel is being continuously assessed by a team of industry experts, including Naval architects, reef experts and salvors who closely monitor and assess the vessel.
  • Since the Wakashio is unable to navigate, a tow connection has been established between a tug and Wakashio, so that she will not drift should the status of the vessel deteriorate further.

Others

  • The members from MOL have arrived at the site for the purpose of cooperating with the authorities, collecting information, preventing the spread of oil spill, and supporting oil spill recovery.
  • MOL is doing everything possible to support the efforts of owner and manager, Nagashiki Shipping and their appointed teams in mitigating the effects of the spill.
  • MOL deplores any incident of oil pollution and continues to offer support to all involved in the response.

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Source: Manifold Times