The association representing dry cargo shipowners has called on the flag State and all involved stakeholders ‘to investigate this environmental tragedy both transparently and in depth, and to release the findings as a matter of urgency’.
As reported by Bunkerspot, earlier this week Nagashiki Shipping, the owner of the 203,000 DWT Wakashio, confirmed that the vessel had broken up. The bulk carrier, which was on charter to MOL, ran aground on 25 July close to a coral reef off Mauritius and around 1,000 metric tonnes (mt) of very low sulphur fuel oil spilled into the sea. Around 3,000 mt of fuel has since been recovered from the vessel and transferred to small tankers.
In a statement INTERCARGO expressed its sympathy to the people of Mauritius and called for more assistance to prevent the further spreading of leaked oil.
The association noted that: ‘We are relieved that the crew was safely evacuated, and that any loss of life has been avoided in this tragic incident.
As an industry we must ensure such accidents are avoided especially in busy sea lanes, which pass through pristine environmental habitats and island nations, where people are dependent on marine life and tourism.’
It continued: ‘Of course we must express our concerns that such an incident can still occur today, despite the advanced navigational equipment, modern training methods and up-to-date weather routeing services currently available to the shipping industry.’
