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Emergency in Mauritius after oil spill – in pictures

August 10, 2020
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  • Oil drifts ashore after the MV Wakashio, a Japanese-owned, Panama-flagged bulk carrier ship, ran aground off the south-east coast of Mauritius

    Photograph: Reunion Region/EPA

    Oil drifts ashore after the MV Wakashio, a Japanese-owned, Panama-flagged bulk carrier ship, ran aground off the south-east coast of Mauritius


  • Local volunteers clean up oil washing on to the beach

    Photograph: Laura Morosoli/EPA

    Local volunteers clean up oil washing on to the beach


  • Volunteers make improvised oil-blocking buoys on the Mahebourg waterfront

    Photograph: Reuters

    Volunteers make improvised oil-blocking buoys on the Mahebourg waterfront


  • Rocks are covered with oil in Mahebourg. The prime minister, Pravind Jugnauth, has declared a state of environmental emergency

    Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock

    Rocks are covered with oil in Mahebourg. The prime minister, Pravind Jugnauth, has declared a state of environmental emergency


  • Rough seas have hampered efforts to stop fuel leaking from the carrier

    Photograph: AFP/Getty

    Rough seas have hampered efforts to stop fuel leaking from the carrier


  • Local volunteers lift absorbent barriers made of straw stuffed into fabric sacks to try to contain the oil

    Photograph: Reunion Region/EPA

    Local volunteers lift absorbent barriers made of straw stuffed into fabric sacks to try to contain the oil


  • Volunteers hold floating booms

    Photograph: Reuters

    Volunteers hold floating booms


  • The ship was sailing from China to Brazil when it hit coral reefs near Pointe d’Esny on 25 July

    Photograph: French army command/Reuters

    The ship was sailing from China to Brazil when it hit coral reefs near Pointe d'Esny on 25 July


  • A volunteer is covered in leaked oil from the tanker

    Photograph: Reuters

    A volunteer is covered in leaked oil from the tanker


  • More than 1,000 tonnes of fuel have seeped into the ocean; a further 2,500 tonnes remain onboard and are starting to ooze from a crack in the hull

    Photograph: Reuters

    More than 1,000 tonnes of fuel have seeped into the ocean; a further 2,500 tonnes remain onboard and are starting to ooze from a crack in the hull


  • Leaked oil washes ashore

    Photograph: Reuters

    Leaked oil washes ashore


  • Volunteers hold a floating boom of hair and sugar-cane leaves near the leaked oil

    Photograph: Reuters

    Volunteers hold a floating boom of hair and sugar-cane leaves near the leaked oil


  • MV Wakashio at Riviere des Creoles in south-east Mauritius

    Photograph: French Army command/Reuters

    MV Wakashio at Riviere des Creoles in south-east Mauritius


  • Experts warn a further rupture could unleash a spill that would be catastrophic for the fragile coastal ecosystem upon which Mauritius, and its economy, rely

    Photograph: Reuters

    Experts warn a further rupture could unleash a spill that would be catastrophic for the fragile coastal ecosystem upon which Mauritius, and its economy, rely


  • Jugnauth said response crews had managed to stem the leak for now, but were bracing for the worst. ‘The cracks have grown. The situation is even worse. The risk of the boat breaking in half still exists’

    Photograph: Reunion Region/EPA

    Jugnauth said response crews had managed to stem the leak for now, but were bracing for the worst. 'The cracks have grown. The situation is even worse. The risk of the boat breaking in half still exists'


  • The prime minister is appealing to France for help with an environmental disaster

    Photograph: AP

    The prime minister is appealing to France for help with an environmental disaster


  • The vessel struck a reef at Pointe d’Esny, an ecological jewel fringed by idyllic beaches, colourful reefs, sanctuaries for rare and endemic wildlife, and unique wetlands

    Photograph: Nik Cole/AP

    The vessel struck a reef at Pointe d'Esny, an ecological jewel fringed by idyllic beaches, colourful reefs, sanctuaries for rare and endemic wildlife, and unique wetlands


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