Mauritius Freighter heavy oil spill Voice of concern over damage to precious ecosystem August 14, 19:01
An accident that occurred when a cargo ship operated by Mitsui OSK Lines aground off the coast of Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, almost all of the fuel remaining in the ship was recovered, but a large amount of heavy oil that had already spilled was washed up on the coast, and Some people are worried about the damage to the precious ecosystem.
On the 26th of Japan time (25th local time), a freighter operated by Mitsui OSK Lines stranded offshore Mauritius, and it is estimated that about 1000 tons of heavy oil spilled after that.
MOL said that almost all the fuel left on board was recovered, but only about half of the heavy oil that flowed out could be recovered, so a large amount of heavy oil had already drifted to the coast near the site. doing.
On the coast, local volunteers scoop up heavy oil by hand and put it in a bucket to collect it.In addition, Japan, France, and UN agencies also dispatch human resources and supplies to the area to provide full international support. It has turned into.
On the other hand, the damage was widespread, such as heavy oil drifting around the mangrove forests around the site, and Noriaki Sakaguchi, an international cooperation expert at JICA = Japan International Cooperation Agency, who was familiar with the conservation of the ecosystem said, "Oxygen breathing when oil adheres. There is a possibility that they will not be able to do so, and they may die.” He stressed the need to immediately investigate the effects on the ecosystem and make plans for recovery.