Oil spill in Mauritius: Mitsui OSK Lines has already been involved in several accidents

A barrel of oil which escaped from the bulk carrier Wakashio, belonging to the Japanese company Mitsui OSK Lines, but flying the Panamanian flag, which ran aground on a reef facing Mauritius. REUTERS / Sumeet Mudhoo / L'Express Maurice

Text by: Frédéric Charles

2 min

The Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines, one of whose ships ran aground in Mauritius causing an oil leak, has already been involved in several accidents, including an oil spill in the Indian Ocean in 2006. The bulk carrier that it operates on July 25, hit a reef in the south-east of Mauritius. It is estimated that a thousand tonnes of fuel oil and diesel spilled into the sea.

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With our correspondent in Tokyo,

The Japanese company Mitsui OSK Lines has already experienced other accidents. In 2006, the Bright Artemis tanker she was operating was damaged in the Indian Ocean causing 4,500 tonnes of crude to leak far from the coast. The Bright Artemis was attempting to rescue the crew of another ship.

In 2013, a Mitsui OSK Lines container ship was also wrecked in the Indian Ocean.

As for its bulk carrier Wakashio which ran aground in Mauritius, the Japanese company declares today that almost all of the fuel oil still present on board has been recovered.

This cargo vessel is owned by another Japanese company, Nagashiki Shipping based in Wakayama in western Japan. Its bulk carrier had successfully passed its annual inspection last March.

Mitsui OSK Lines shipping company has a long history, almost a century and a half. It is owned by the Mitsui conglomerate which operates 740 ships worldwide and employs over 1,000 people.

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  • Mauritius
  • Japan

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