Bulk Carrier That Spilled Oil Off the Mauritian Coast Breaks Up

(Bloomberg) -- The Nagashiki Shipping Co.-owned vessel that ran aground last month and spilled oil off the Mauritian coast has broken up.

“The bigger part which was lying outside the lagoon is being towed toward the high seas,” the Shipping Ministry spokesman, Jasvin Sok Appadu, said by phone. The other part of the MV Wakashio, which contains its engine and fuel tanks, is “safe and stable.” Measures have been taken to prevent any further oil spillage, Sok Appadu said.

At about 2 p.m. on Saturday, “a crack in the cargo hold No. 8 to the stern side progressed. This caused the vessel to break,” Nagashiki said in a statement on Sunday. “The vessel is being continuously assessed by a team of industry experts.”

The ship was en route to Brazil from China when it hit a reef on the southeastern coast of the island on July 25, and later leaked about 1,000 tons of fuel into the water.

“A team of specialists continue to work on recovering the remaining oil from the sea and coastal areas in order to minimize the impact to the environment,” Nagashiki said.

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