Over the past few days, a grounded ship off the coast of Mauritius has been leaking tonnes of crude oil into the island’s clear waters. At least 1000 tonnes of crude oil has already seeped into the Indian Ocean waters, leading to a tragic ecological disaster that is trying to be contained without much success.
The Mauritius government has declared an environmental emergency, especially considering the threat to biodiversity and wildlife. Here are some images that show the extent of this disaster.
Volunteers, environmentalists, and wildlife workers have been carrying out massive efforts to limit the damage, but unfortyunately things don’t seem too hopeful.
Oil Spill in Mauritius just now. Japanese Tanker was stuck on the reef there for several days/weeks. Despite public worry and outcry, the gov in place assured that it was empty and did nothing. Now its too late. The Blue Bay marine park ecosystem in grave danger. @BBCWorld pic.twitter.com/fTQkwENNvy
— pitioupatow (@Maxwell_005) August 6, 2020
⚠️PLEASE SHARE AS WE MUST GET MORE HELP FOR MAURITIUS!⚠️ This oil spill is happening now in Mauritius as their coastline is covered in thick black oil, killing all wildlife & marine life in its path, but they’re ill-equipped for the cleanup SO please retweet/let’s get them help! pic.twitter.com/KB7L22qoYz
— Karmagawa (@karmagawa) August 9, 2020
Absolutely shattered by the ecological crisis faced by Mauritius. These pictures of the oil spill, wrecking our most beautiful lagoons, were taken by my friend Eric Villars on his flight to Rodrigues this morning. #mauritius #oilspill #wakashio #bluebay #coralreefs #marinepark pic.twitter.com/DRTLthCZw1
— Priya Hein (@PriyaHein) August 7, 2020
OIL SPILL: The government of Mauritius has declared a state of environmental emergency after a cargo ship hit a reef in the Indian Ocean.
— ABC News (@ABC) August 10, 2020
Fuel leaking from the ship is creating an ecological disaster, officials say, endangering sea life in the area. https://t.co/NRo2KiYlmf pic.twitter.com/gaNHoE8fd8
The oil spill in Mauritius is ruining their beaches pic.twitter.com/QXndbbtGhc
— Übermensch (@Trackmann) August 9, 2020
I’m sad 😰
— Marine TREBAUL – #SDGs – #Breton (@MarineGOfficial) August 8, 2020
Oil spill on the coral reefs of Mauritius.#DestroyAllLobbies #oceans pic.twitter.com/NqUBMjw2wc
A man scoops leaked oil from the vessel MV Wakashio that ran aground near the Blue Bay Marine Park off the coast of Mauritius
— Telegraph Pictures (@TelegraphPics) August 10, 2020
Photography by Jean Aurelo Prudence/L’Express Maurice/AFP/Getty Images
Pictures of the day: https://t.co/Rrt1UWfInt pic.twitter.com/sqGgyhhi1X
Grounded Mauritius Ship Operator Apologises for Oil Leak
— Mauritius Island (@MauritiusGuide) August 9, 2020
TOKYO — “We apologise profusely and deeply for the great trouble we have caused,” Akihiko Ono, executive vice president of Mitsui OSK Lines said at a new conference in Tokyo.https://t.co/TtCPe6O0Ww pic.twitter.com/5p4YkW6V8e
Mauritius scrambles to counter oil spill from grounded ship https://t.co/chy5StrRmW pic.twitter.com/QvOSyTAelq
— CP24 (@CP24) August 9, 2020
For those who have thier heads buried in the sand – a massive oil spill is impacting reefs in Mauritius as we speak. The impact of this incident on nature & people will be devastating. The ship still has 3800 tonnes of fuel aboard, so expect things to get worse very quickly! pic.twitter.com/9d0MkeiKs7
— Dr Michael Sweet (@DiseaseMatters) August 7, 2020
*Content not mine*
— Louise (@san_dreyne) August 7, 2020
This is horrible. We can no longer go to the beach. How many years will it take for the sea to get rid of that hydrocarbon. #Mauritius #OILSpill #wakashio #EcologicalDisaster pic.twitter.com/upunu8gzWv
Popping back with serious news on the oil spill in Mauritius:
— Ariel Saramandi (@Ariel_Saramandi) August 9, 2020
Strong winds are blowing the oil towards the east and northeast coast, as well as ile aux cerfs. pic.twitter.com/WvGKJB7YFs
Like the horrible oil spill that’s looming off of Mauritius, 2020 is hauntingly relentless. pic.twitter.com/CykCUN2E9v
— Melody Cooper (@melodyMcooper) August 8, 2020
Let’s hope the international community comes together to mitigate the damage as much as possible. A truly tragic event indeed.
