3 Dead, 1 Missing After Tragic Sinking of Tug Involved in Wakashio Oil Spill Cleanup
WMN..Three men have died, while one remains missing after a tug involved in the cleanup efforts of the oil spill caused by the Capesize bulker Wakashio, capsized following a collision with a barge in bad weather.
Four people have been rescued from the water after the collision on Monday night.
As Offshore Energy-Green Marine understands from sources familiar with the matter, one crew member was picked up from the water by a helicopter responding to a distress signal sent out by the two vessels after the collision.
It appears that the helicopter ran out of fuel in the middle of the operation and had to go back to refuel for 2 hours before heading to the site again. Meanwhile, local fishermen rushed to the scene in the middle of the night and managed to rescue three additional men.
The captain of the vessel remains unaccounted for.
The tug in question, named The Sir Gaetan, was reportedly leaving the wreck site when it rammed into the barge, used to transport parts salvaged from the site of the oil spill. The vessel sank off the northeast coast of the Indian Ocean island nation, the Associated Press reports citing Mauritius Police.
It is unclear, why the two vessels were heading out to sea in such weather conditions.
To remind, the Japanese bulker Wakashio went aground off Mauritius on July 25. The bunker oil from the vessel leaked out on August 6, and the vessel broke apart on August 15.
Around 1,000 tonnes of oil are estimated to have leaked from the wreck, in what is considered the worst oil spill in the history of Mauritius.
The latest incident further fuels the anger of the people of Mauritius, who have been voicing their dissatisfaction over the handling of the grounding and environmental disaster it caused on the city streets.
Tens of thousands of Mauritians are estimated to have marched in the capital over the weekend, calling for resignations of the current government due to their slow response to the grounding of the ship before it broke apart and spilled fuel.
What is more, around 35 dolphin corpses washed up on Mauritius’ beaches last week, raising concerns that the deaths of the mammals might be linked to the spill.
An investigation is underway to determine whether these are connected.
According to the environmental group Greenpeace, the long term impacts of the oil spill are yet to be determined, but it is estimated that it would likely affect turtles, seabirds, and much of the marine life in the area….reports World Maritime News..
Four people have been rescued from the water after the collision on Monday night.
As Offshore Energy-Green Marine understands from sources familiar with the matter, one crew member was picked up from the water by a helicopter responding to a distress signal sent out by the two vessels after the collision.
It appears that the helicopter ran out of fuel in the middle of the operation and had to go back to refuel for 2 hours before heading to the site again. Meanwhile, local fishermen rushed to the scene in the middle of the night and managed to rescue three additional men.
The captain of the vessel remains unaccounted for.
The tug in question, named The Sir Gaetan, was reportedly leaving the wreck site when it rammed into the barge, used to transport parts salvaged from the site of the oil spill. The vessel sank off the northeast coast of the Indian Ocean island nation, the Associated Press reports citing Mauritius Police.
It is unclear, why the two vessels were heading out to sea in such weather conditions.
To remind, the Japanese bulker Wakashio went aground off Mauritius on July 25. The bunker oil from the vessel leaked out on August 6, and the vessel broke apart on August 15.
Around 1,000 tonnes of oil are estimated to have leaked from the wreck, in what is considered the worst oil spill in the history of Mauritius.
The latest incident further fuels the anger of the people of Mauritius, who have been voicing their dissatisfaction over the handling of the grounding and environmental disaster it caused on the city streets.
Tens of thousands of Mauritians are estimated to have marched in the capital over the weekend, calling for resignations of the current government due to their slow response to the grounding of the ship before it broke apart and spilled fuel.
What is more, around 35 dolphin corpses washed up on Mauritius’ beaches last week, raising concerns that the deaths of the mammals might be linked to the spill.
An investigation is underway to determine whether these are connected.
According to the environmental group Greenpeace, the long term impacts of the oil spill are yet to be determined, but it is estimated that it would likely affect turtles, seabirds, and much of the marine life in the area….reports World Maritime News..
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