One month after a grounding accident off the coast of Mauritius Heavy oil is widely spread by ocean currents and winds

One month after a stranding accident off the coast of Mauritius Heavy oil is widely spread by ocean currents and winds 6:25 on August 25

It takes 25 days and 1 month after the accident of a cargo ship chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines aground off the coast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
Analysis of satellite images showed that the spilled heavy oil seemed to have been washed ashore about 30 km along the southeastern coast of the island.
Experts surveyed in the field believe that ocean currents and winds have spread heavy oil over a wide area.

The freighter "WAKASHIO" owned by Nagareiki Steamship in Okayama Prefecture and chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines stranded offshore Mauritius on the 25th of last month, and a large amount of fuel oil and other fuel spilled afterwards.

When NHK verified based on analysis data such as satellite images of the site provided by the United Nations agency, the heavy oil that started to spill on 6th of this month spread to the southeastern coast of the island on 4th and 10th. I understand.

The United Nations estimates that the length of the coastline on which heavy oil has drifted has reached about 30 km, and there are fishing ports along the coast as well as mangrove forests.

Keiji Takechi, an international marine pollution countermeasures officer of the Japan Coast Guard, dispatched to the field as Japan's International Emergency Relief Team until this month, said that the ocean current from the south is flowing along the coast near the site, and during the activity, it moves south and east It is said that the heavy oil was spreading due to the tide and the flow of wind.

He also said that the surrounding area is a shallow water where corals spread and the depth is less than 1 meter, and the range of activity of boats and people is limited, so it may take time to recover the oil.

The freighter “WAKASHIO”, which was heading from Brazil to China via Singapore, ran aground last month on the 25th of local time.

The freighter changed its course almost 90 degrees to the right about 2 km off the southeast coast of Mauritius, and slowed down significantly. A collision with something at this point is likely to have caused the grounding.

UNITAR = See how the heavy oil spilled from a cargo ship spreads based on the data analyzed by the United Nations Research Institute for Training and Research, such as satellite images at the site.

The final stop for the freighter was at the yellow spot, outside the coral reef in southeastern Mauritius.

On the 6th of this month, just 10 days after the grounding, the spill of heavy oil began. If you show the spread of heavy oil in orange, you can see that the oil is inside the coral reef.

Heavy oil then spread rapidly to the north, four days later on the 10th of this month. Covered the entire coastline north of the bay.

The area of ​​the sea surface covered with heavy oil was about 13 square kilometers at this time, which is considered to have reached a wider area than Tokyo Chiyoda Ward.

And this month 15th.

The range of heavy oil extended further north and west of the bay.

According to the United Nations, it is estimated that the length of the coastline where heavy oil was washed ashore was about 30 kilometers.

Concerns about serious damage to fisheries and ecosystems

To the west of the oil-heavy bay is Mahebourg, the largest city in the southeastern part of the island.

Although it is a port town with a population of about 15,000 and a thriving fishing industry, it is said that heavy oil has left it unable to fish.

In addition, there is a wetland registered in the "Ramsar Treaty" that defines the conservation of internationally important wetlands in Pointe des Ney on the south side of the bay, and a wide variety of organisms inhabit the vicinity of mangrove forests. I will.

Heavy oil is believed to be floating just around the corner, and there are concerns about its serious impact on the ecosystem.

"A Lady of the Indian Ocean"

Mauritius is an island nation with a population of approximately 1.27 million in the Indian Ocean in the eastern part of the African continent, and the size of the island is approximately 1980 square kilometers, which is almost the same as Tokyo.

It is also known as the "Indian Ocean Lady" because of its beautiful white sandy beaches, coral reefs, and rich nature where rare creatures inhabit. It is a resort area visited by more than 1.3 million people annually from Europe and other countries. It accounts for about 10% of production.

There are three places on the island that are registered under the Ramsar Convention, which defines the conservation of internationally important wetlands, and the protection of the coastal environment and the protection of various species including endemic species are being promoted. It was

Government of Mauritius "Environmental Emergency"

Since coral reefs and rare creatures live near the site where the cargo ship ran aground, the Mauritius government declared an “environmental emergency” and called on the international community for urgent assistance such as dispatching experts. It was

In response to this, President Macron of France, the former colonial power, posted on Twitter on Twitter that "it is necessary to act urgently when biodiversity is at stake", providing supplies such as oil fences and experts. We have launched support such as dispatching a team.

India has announced that it has dispatched 10 Coast Guard members trained to deal with heavy oil pollution and provided more than 30 tons of supplies such as oil fences and oil-absorbing sheets.

In China, more than 200 people, including employees of the local Chinese embassy and employees of 15 Chinese companies, volunteered to participate in the oil recovery work.

On March 10th and 19th, Japan dispatched 13 experts from the Japan Coast Guard and Ministry of the Environment as International Emergency Relief Corps to investigate the situation of oil spills and their impact on the environment. In addition, Japanese companies also sent adsorbents using special fibers that absorb only oil to the site.

Furthermore, the United Nations is also working locally to investigate environmental impacts and support local residents, and the UNDP = United Nations Development Program has allocated $200,000 to respond to accidents.

Removal work as soon as possible

Mangrove forests spread along the coast of Mauritius facing the Indian Ocean, and although it is registered with the Ramsar Convention on the Protection of Precious Wetlands Internationally, the area around the mangrove forests where some of the oil is registered is located around the mangrove forest. I'm adrift.

Mangrove forests have complicated roots and the surrounding area is difficult to access in wetlands, so removal work is difficult.

Shigeyuki Baba, President of the International Association of Mangrove Ecosystems, who has been studying mangroves for more than 40 years, and Professor Emeritus of the University of the Ryukyus said, “Mangrove roots absorb nutrients and breathe. "Toxic components soak into the inside, destroying cell membranes and dying."

Furthermore, considering the damage situation of oil spill accidents that occurred in the past, "If the state of oil adhered to mangroves continues, it will die in about half a year at the earliest", appealing the necessity of removal work as soon as possible. I am.

A wide variety of organisms live in mangrove forests and play an important role in supporting ecosystems such as shellfish, fish, and birds, so minimizing the damage to the environment is an urgent issue.

Insurance is applicable to collection costs

It is from now on to determine how much the work cost and compensation amount due to this accident will eventually rise.

In the event of an oil spill on a cargo ship, liability is borne by the owner of the ship under the international treaty “bunker convention”.

In the case of this accident, the owner will be Nagaoka Steamship in Okayama Prefecture.

According to Mr. Yoshikazu Miyahiro, Manager of the Public Relations Office of the Japan P&I CLUB of the Mutual Insurance Union to which Changfeng Kisen joins, the amount of compensation is determined by the international treaty called “Shipowner Liability Limitation Treaty” based on the volume of the ship. I will.

Under this treaty, in this case, the maximum amount of compensation to the Mauritius Government would be approximately JPY 1.9 billion in Japanese yen.

In addition to this, insurance is applied to oil recovery costs, etc., which Chofu Steamship carries out, and the upper limit is approximately 106 billion yen.