In Pictures

In Pictures: Ship leaking oil off Mauritius breaks apart

Thousands of volunteers work day and night to clean the pristine waters to avoid environmental and economic disaster.

This aerial picture taken on August 16, 2020, shows the MV Wakashio bulk carrier that had run aground and broke into two parts near Blue Bay Marine Park, Mauritius. - A ship that has leaked more than — This aerial picture taken on August 16 shows the MV Wakashio bulk carrier that had run aground and broken into two parts near Blue Bay Marine Park. [AFP]

A ship that has leaked more than 1,000 tonnes of oil in pristine waters off the coast of Mauritius has split in two.

The Japanese-owned bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off the southeastern coast of Mauritius on July 25 and began oozing oil more than a week later, threatening a protected marine park boasting mangrove forests and endangered species.

“It was confirmed on August 15 that the vessel has broken into two,” the ship’s operator Mitsui OSK Lines said in a statement on Sunday, noting that the information came from the vessel’s owner, Nagashiki Shipping.

Nearly all of the remaining 3,000 tonnes of oil had been pumped off the ship by that time, though there were still 90 tonnes on board, much of it residue from the leakage.

Mitsui noted on Sunday that “an amount of unrecovered oil is believed to have leaked out of the vessel”, without providing details.

Mauritius has declared an environmental emergency and thousands of Mauritians have volunteered day and night to clean the powder-blue waters that have long been a favourite among honeymooners and tourists.

The spill is an environmental and economic disaster for Mauritius, which relies heavily on tourism.

Removing the ship is likely to take months and scientists say the full impact of the spill is still unfolding, but the damage could affect Mauritius and its tourism-dependent economy for decades.

Workers collect leaked oil at the beach in Riviere des Creoles on August 15, 2020, due to the oil leaked from vessel MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, that ran agrou — Workers collect leaked oil at the beach in Riviere des Creoles. [Fabien Dubessay/AFP]

A picture taken on August 15, 2020 shows iridescence on the water at the beach in Petit Bel Air, due to the oil leaked from vessel MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, — Iridescence on the water at a beach in Petit Bel Air due to the oil leaked from the vessel. [Fabien Dubessay/AFP]

epa08604945 A worker holds out his arms covered in thick oil from collecting seaweed and straw mixed with leaked oil from the MV Wakashio, a Japanese owned Panama-flagged bulk carrier after it ran agr — A salvage worker holds out his arms covered in thick oil. [Laura Morosoli/EPA]

Volunteers make oil barriers to absorb leaked oil from the MV Wakashio bulk carrier that had run aground in Mahebourg, Mauritius, on August 14, 2020. - A fresh streak of oil spilled on August 14, 2020 — Volunteers make oil barriers to absorb the leaked oil. [Sumeet Mudhoo/L'Express Maurice/AFP]

A picture taken on August 15, 2020 near Blue Bay Marine Park, shows the vessel MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, that ran aground near Blue Bay Marine Park off the c — The country of some 1.3 million people relies heavily on tourism and already had taken a severe hit with the coronavirus pandemic travel restrictions. [Fabien Dubessay/AFP]

Volunteers take part in the clean up operation in Mahebourg, Mauritius, Wednesday Aug. 12, 2020, surrounding the oil spill from the MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier ship that recently ran aground off the s — Anxious residents fill fabric sacks with sugar cane leaves in an effort to stop the oil spill from reaching their shores. [Beekash Roopun-L''express Maurice/AP Photo]

A volunteer cleans oil spilled from the bulk carrier ship MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, that ran aground on a reef, at the Mahebourg Waterfront in Riviere des Cr — "The people of Mauritius are holding their breath," Vassen Kauppaymuthoo, an oceanographer in Mauritius, told Al Jazeera. "The image of Mauritius has been deeply impacted. When we look at those very sad images of oil sipping in one of the most pristine areas of the southeastern coast of Mauritius we feel very sad in Mauritius - and at the same time very angry about the situation and why it has occurred," he said. [Stephane Antoine/Reuters]

(EDITORS NOTE: Best quality available.) Drums filled with fuel oil waste and algae sit behind foam-filled oil containment booms on shore at Bois des Amourettes, Mauritius, on Friday Aug. 14, 2020. The — Drums filled with fuel oil waste and algae sit behind foam-filled oil containment booms on shore at Bois des Amourettes. [Kamlesh Bhuckory/Bloomberg]