Indian Captain Of The Japanese Ship That Ran Aground In Mauritius Leaking Oil Is Arrested

Authorities in Mauritius have arrested the Indian captain of the Japanese ship that ran aground near Mauritius and spilled 1,000 tonnes of oil on the Indian Ocean island's protected coastline.

Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, captain of the MV Wakashio and who is from India, was charged with ¡°endangering safe navigation¡± and is in custody pending a bail hearing next week, police inspector Sivo Coothen said.

AFP

The ship's first officer was also charged and is being held, he said.

¡°We are carrying out a full investigation and interviewing all the crew members,¡± Coothen said.

afp

The Wakasio ran aground a coral reef on July 25 and after being pounded by heavy waves for several days the vessel cracked and started leaking oil on August 6.

Over 1,000 tonnes of oil spilled

The damaged ship spilled more than 1,000 tonnes of its cargo of 4,000 tons of fuel into the turquoise waters of the Mahebourg Lagoon, one of the island's most pristine coastal areas.

Most of the remaining 3,000 tonnes of fuel was pumped off the ship before it split into two but environmental groups warned that the damage to the surrounding coral reefs could be irreversible.

Owner Nagashiki Shipping is investigating why the ship went off course and it has sent experts to help clean up the damage.

On Wednesday, Nagashiki issued a statement after the arrest of the captain on charges of endangering safe navigation. It did not provide further details on the situation in Mauritius beyond saying it would support the crew and their families.

AFP

"We sincerely apologise for causing a great deal of inconvenience to everyone involved, including everyone in Mauritius, due to this grounding accident and oil spill," the statement said.

'Crew celebrating birthday'

Wakashio was meant to stay at least 16 kilometers from shore but it ran aground just a mile from the island.

Local media had reported that the crew of Wakashio were celebrating a crew member's birthday on July 25 and veered off course in search of a wifi signal.

The ship that broke into two after it ran aground is turning out to be an ecological disaster for Mauritius which is heavily dependent on tourism.

REUTERS

After the government declared an environmental emergency, thousands of volunteers rushed to the shore to create makeshift oil barriers from tunnels of fabric stuffed with sugar cane leaves and even human hair, with empty plastic bottles tucked in to keep them afloat.

The Mauritius government has closed off the coastal area of the eastern part of the island, where thousands of civilian volunteers worked for days to try to minimize damage to the Mahebourg lagoon and protected marine wetlands polluted by the spilled fuel.