Two weeks after the accident of the bulk carrier MV Wakashio, which struck a reef off the coast of Mauritius, Mitsui OSK Lines, the Japanese company that operates the vessel, announced that 1,180 tonnes of fuel oil have already dumped in the waters of Mauritius.

"We confirm that the crack in the hull of the boat has widened. Since the vessel is unable to navigate autonomously, it is moored to a tug, so it will not drift even if it breaks," said a statement from the company, specifying that 1,800 tonnes of fuel oil are still on board the ship.

This accident, which today represents an ecological disaster for Mauritius, is not the first in which the Japanese company is implicated. In 2006, the oil tanker Bright Artemis, which she operated, was damaged while trying to rescue the crew of another vessel, causing an estimated 4 crude oil to leak into the Indian Ocean. 500 tons.

The leak having taken place offshore, it was decided to let the slick dilute and evaporate, the company considering that it was unlikely that the oil would reach the coast.

Mitsui OSK Lines was also involved in other accidents, including the sinking of one of its container ships in 2013 in the Indian Ocean.

The company operates more than 700 vessels

The history of the Tokyo-based shipping company dates back to 1878, when the trading company Mitsui & Co began operating a steamboat link between Nagasaki and Shanghai.

Within the large conglomerate ("zaibatsu") Mitsui, maritime activity was extended in the 1930s to the transport of passengers between Japan and the American continent. Renamed Mitsui Steamship in 1942, it was used, like many other Japanese private companies, for military transport before and during World War II.

Surviving the post-war chaos, the company took part in the "Japanese miracle" by taking part in the exports of Japanese cars and the imports of natural gas from the archipelago, which is poor in natural resources. Renamed Mitsui OSK Lines in 1999, it now operates some 740 vessels worldwide and employs over 1,000 people.

The MV Wakashio bulk carrier, launched in 2007, is owned by the Japanese company Nagashiki, based in Wakayama (west). He had passed his annual inspection without problem in March, according to the NGO ClassNK.

With AFP

The summary of the week France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR