Oil Freighter Hits Coral Reef, Leaking 1000 Tons of Oil Into Mauritius Waters While Threatening Thousands More

A Japanese freighter ran aground on Mauritius’ coral reefs, leaking 1000 tons of oil into the pristine waters of the Indian ocean.

Check out these pictures …

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⚠️CLICK THE LINK IN OUR BIO FOR OUR NEW FUNDRAISER AND SHARE THIS SAD NEWS WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS TO GET MAURITIUS URGENT HELP⚠️ Late Friday, the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius declared a “state of environmental emergency” after a Japanese-owned ship that ran aground offshore days ago began spilling tons of fuel. Mauritius has said the ship was carrying nearly 4,000 tons of fuel and cracks have appeared in its hull. Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth earlier in the day said his government was appealing to France for help, saying the spill “represents a danger” for the country of some 1.3 million people that relies heavily on tourism and has been been hit hard by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. “Our country doesn’t have the skills and expertise to refloat stranded ships, so I have appealed for help from France and President Emmanuel Macron,” he said. Bad weather has made it impossible to act, and “I worry what could happen Sunday when the weather deteriorates.” Tons of diesel and oil are now leaking into the water, environmental group Greenpeace Africa’s climate and energy manager Happy Khambule said in a statement. “Thousands of species around the pristine lagoons of Blue Bay, Pointe d’Esny and Mahebourg are at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution, with dire consequences for Mauritius’ economy, food security and health,” Khambule said. A government environmental outlook released nearly a decade ago said Mauritius had a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan but equipment on hand was “adequate to deal with oil spills of less than 10 metric tonnes.” WE MUST GET MAURITIUS HELP so please send this to French President @emmanuelmacron and share this tragic news with your followers and encourage them to share it too and also tag people, celebrities, influencers and news media — let’s all work together to make this go viral so we can get more news coverage and International aid RIGHT NOW! Images by @gregrouxel @hugoclementk @greenpeace #mauritius #oilspill #karmagawa #savethereef

A post shared by SaveTheReef (@savethereef) on Aug 7, 2020 at 3:54pm PDT

The ship struck the reefs on July 25 and has remained stuck close to two internationally protected UNESCO Ramsar sites for wetlands, including a small coral atoll that had been set aside from human interference for the recovery of native species of the island’s rare biodiversity.

The oil has polluted the coral reefs, white-sand beaches and beautiful lagoons that lure tourists from around the world … and because there’s an estimated 2,500 tons of oil remaining on the stricken vessel, there’s an even greater ecological and economic danger looming over the island nation. 

The vessel is continuing to break apart and experts fear a further rupture could unleash a spill that would be catastrophic for the fragile ecosystem that Mauritius relies on.

Crews have managed to stop the leak for now … but the cracks on the ship are growing and the ship may even break in half.

Mauritius has declared an unprecedented environmental emergency for the worst oil spill in its history and is appealing for international help.

In response, Japan is sending a six-member team of experts to assist … and France has dispatched military vessels and technical advisers.

The Japanese company that owns the vessel has been apologetic and has promised to make every effort possible to resolve the situation.

Because time is of the essence, a citizen-led cleanup operation has started and they are trying everything they can to stop the oil … collecting thick black sludge with their hands and buckets alone.

Take a look at these videos …

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⚠️PLEASE SHARE AND CLICK THE LINK IN OUR BIO FOR OUR NEW FUNDRAISER TO HELP MAURITIUS!⚠️ Swipe over to see the tragic videos of the locals in Mauritius trying to clean up the worst oil spill in their history….THEY NEED OUR HELP NOW! The MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil and 1,000 tonnes of which are estimated so far to have leaked out into nearby waters, beaches and mangroves, destroying more and more of their fragile ecosystem! France and Japan have dispatched disaster relief teams, but that takes time and the oil leak has already caused unprecedented damage to the island's lagoons, marine habitats and beaches so a citizen-led cleanup operation has started trying EVERYTHING to stop the oil…people are collecting the thick black sludge with their hands and buckets alone! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY TRAGIC AND WE MUST HELP THEM NOW! Please click the link in the bio of @karmagawa or @savethereef and donate to our new fundraiser to help get them more equipment in this URGENT battle against oil…and more importantly, against time! Also share this post with your followers and tag people, celebrities, influencers and news media who need to see it as we must make everyone aware and get help NOW before anymore of their ecosystem is destroyed! People always message us asking how can they help…now is your chance because Mauritius does not have the equipment necessary for a full cleanup and every minute more oil leaks out and is killing everything the people here hold dear. Let’s use our social media platforms for good and help Mauritius with their oil cleanup RIGHT NOW! Videos by @willowrivertonkin @indie.marea @mauritius__explored @savemauritiusreef @karmagawa #SaveMauritiusReef #oilspill #karmagawa #savethereef

A post shared by SaveTheReef (@savethereef) on Aug 9, 2020 at 6:07pm PDT

This situation is absolutely tragic and at Karmagawa and SaveTheReef, we want to make a way for our community to help.

Please think about donating at our new fundraiser so that we can help the Mauritius people get what they need in their URGENT battle against this oil spill.

They’re doing the best that they can but they don’t have the necessary equipment for a full cleanup.

Every minute counts because if the ship continues to break apart, the beautiful environment and all its animals will face much heavier destruction.

Let’s show them that we care.

No donation is too small. Remember, if we all give a little, together we can give A LOT.

Again, the donation link is here. 

Please follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more updates … and make sure to share the information with your family and loved ones so that others can get involved.

What do you think about the destruction this oil spill has caused the Mauritius nation and its people? Leave a comment below.

(Cover image: jukurae/Shutterstock)