The MV Wakashio, a Japanese ship that ran aground off the southeast coast of Mauritius, seen from the coast of Mahebourg, Mauritius, Aug. 12, 2020 (Photo by Kooghen Modeliar-Vyapooree for L’express Maurice via AP Images).
Are the Authorities to Blame for a Devastating Oil Spill in Mauritius?
Andrew Green Friday, Aug. 14, 2020
Editor’s Note: Every Friday, Andrew Green curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent.
An emergency cleanup operation has pumped the remaining oil from a Japanese ship that ran aground off Mauritius late last month, but the island nation is just beginning to grapple with the environmental and economic costs of the 1,000 tons of fuel that spilled off its coast. The MV Wakashio, which was en route from Singapore to Brazil, went off course and struck a coral reef about a mile southeast of Mauritius. The ship’s hull began to split open as it was rocked by heavy waves, and its oil started leaking late last week. ...