Japanese ship involved in Mauritius oil spill breaks apart

[rooster59]

Japanese ship involved in Mauritius oil spill breaks apart

By Omar Mohammed

 

FILE PHOTO: A section of the bulk carrier ship MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, ran aground on a reef, is pictured at the Riviere des Creoles, August 13, 2020. REUTERS/Reuben Pillay

 

(Reuters) - A Japanese bulk carrier that ran aground on a reef in Mauritius last month threatening a marine ecological disaster around the Indian Ocean island has broken apart, authorities said on Saturday.

 

The condition of the MV Wakashio was worsening early on Saturday and it split by the afternoon, the Mauritius National Crisis Committee said.

 

"At around 4.30pm, a major detachment of the vessel's forward section was observed," it said in a statement. "On the basis of the experts' advice, the towing plan is being implemented."

 

The vessel struck a coral reef on July 25, spilling about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil and endangering corals, fish and other marine life in what some scientists have called the country's worst ecological disaster.

 

On Friday, some residual oil from the ship leaked into the ocean, Mauritius Marine Conservation Society President Jacqueline Sauzier told Reuters on Saturday morning.

 

Authorities deployed booms on Saturday to help with oil absorption around the vessel.

 

The Crisis Committee said special attention was being given to sensitive sites such as the Blue Bay Marine Park, Ile aux Aigrettes and the Pointe D'Esny National Ramsar Site.

 

The weather is expected to deteriorate over the next few days with waves of up to 4.5 metres (15 feet), authorities said.

Most of the oil from the vessels have been pumped out, the Mauritian government said on Thursday, but there was still 166 tonnes of fuel oil inside and authorities were working to remove it.

 

Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on Saturday Tokyo planned to send a team of officials from the ministry and other specialists to assess the damage. The MV Wakashio is owned by Japan's Nagashiki Shipping and chartered by Mitsui OSK Lines <9104.T>.

 

Scientists say the full impact of the spill is still unfolding, but the damage could affect Mauritius and its tourism-dependent economy for decades.

 

Removing the ship is likely to take months. Former colonial power France has said it will assist with the cleanup.

(Graphic: Mauritius oil spill - https://graphics.reuters.com/MAURITIUS-ENVIRONMENT/rlgvdnyzavo/MAURITIUS-ENVIRONMENT.jpg)

 

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo and Omar Mohammed; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, William Mallard and Frances Kerry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-16

 

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[Tug]

I don’t think that ship is going anywhere unless it’s in pieces on a barge she will probably remain were she is

[nobodysfriend]

Fossile fuels are toxic and destructive by the use of it and by disasters like this one .

Well known fact , but never changed ... a more developed world would use Hydrogen instead , but the oil lobby is too powerful and greedy .

Again , it is the environment that pays the price , and , with that , the people living near that disaster zone ...

[Burma Bill]

With due respect, how uncanny - around VJ Day!

[jaiyen]

Wonder what's in all those plastic containers on the deck ??

[steven100]

9 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

Wonder what's in all those plastic containers on the deck ??

ask the captain

[Gold Star]

4 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Fossile fuels are toxic and destructive by the use of it and by disasters like this one .

Well known fact , but never changed ... a more developed world would use Hydrogen instead , but the oil lobby is too powerful and greedy .

Again , it is the environment that pays the price , and , with that , the people living near that disaster zone ...

There are, the International Maritime Organisation calculates, more than 85,000 working vessels (of over 100 gross tonnage) on the seas, so the loss of fewer than 200 is just an inevitable toll of working at sea.

 

An estimated 3 million shipwrecks are spread across ocean floors around the planet.

 

Hydrogen is merely an energy storage medium. 95% of hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels, mainly natural gas. Electrolysis production today is not cost effective or better for the environment, as most electrical generation comes from fossil fuels. We will be burning oil, gas, and then coal until its scarcity causes a dramatic rise in price.

[ratcatcher]

Here's a photo of her grounded off Point D'Esny, Mauritius on July 26. 

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:463306/zoom:9

A bulker built in 2007 . Loads iron ore or coal NOT oil. In the picture she appears to be in ballast.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:463306/mmsi:372711000/imo:9337119/vessel:WAKASHIO

Hopefully the oil released from the vessel will be cleaned up as fast as possible. 

Edited August 16, 2020 by ratcatcher

[Grumpy one]

2 hours ago, jaiyen said:

Wonder what's in all those plastic containers on the deck ??

Bio-degradable liquid degreaser ?  

[ratcatcher]

3 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

With due respect, how uncanny - around VJ Day!

Would it still count if she went aground nearly 3 weeks ago?

[ratcatcher]

9 hours ago, Tug said:

I don’t think that ship is going anywhere unless it’s in pieces on a barge she will probably remain were she is

I think they will try to pull it off with tugs, Tug.

[Moonlover]

34 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

10 hours ago, Tug said:

I don’t think that ship is going anywhere unless it’s in pieces on a barge she will probably remain were she is

 

34 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

I think they will try to pull it off with tugs, Tug.

This is all historic. The vessel has broken in two now. I doubt if there is any chance that they will be able to tow it off. See the BBC video.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-53797018/mauritius-oil-spill-wreckage-of-broken-japanese-ship

 

 

[ratcatcher]

28 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

This is all historic. The vessel has broken in two now. I doubt if there is any chance that they will be able to tow it off. See the BBC video.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-53797018/mauritius-oil-spill-wreckage-of-broken-japanese-ship

Thank you for the update.  So the oil washing up on the beaches must be bunker oil or ship's fuel?

[Tug]

1 hour ago, ratcatcher said:

I think they will try to pull it off with tugs, Tug.

No don’t think so she’s (tidal) you can see she’s broken in 2 imagine what the bottom of her hull looks like she will remain were she is imo

[mike787]

nobody cares enough to replace oil.  keep it up.  

Edited August 16, 2020 by mike787

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, ratcatcher said:

Thank you for the update.  So the oil washing up on the beaches must be bunker oil or ship's fuel?

It's the ship's fuel oil that has leaked. As I understand it, this was a bulk carrier, not an oil tanker. 

[Bluespunk]

“We tend to think of environmental catastrophes—such as the recent Exxon Valdez oil-spill disaster in the Bay of Alaska—as "accidents": isolated phenomena that erupt without notice or warning. But when does the word accident become inappropriate? When are such occurrences inevitable rather than accidental? And when does a consistent pattern of inevitable disasters point to a deep-seated crisis that is not only environmental but profoundly social?“

 

Murray Bookchin

 

This was back in 1989 and still we have not learned. 

Edited August 16, 2020 by Bluespunk

[ratcatcher]

3 hours ago, Moonlover said:

It's the ship's fuel oil that has leaked. As I understand it, this was a bulk carrier, not an oil tanker. 

Some incredible photos here.

https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2020/30533/major-oil-spill-mauritius-island/

Edited August 16, 2020 by ratcatcher

[Tug]

8 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Here's a photo of her grounded off Point D'Esny, Mauritius on July 26. 

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:463306/zoom:9

A bulker built in 2007 . Loads iron ore or coal NOT oil. In the picture she appears to be in ballast.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:463306/mmsi:372711000/imo:9337119/vessel:WAKASHIO

Hopefully the oil released from the vessel will be cleaned up as fast as possible. 

In the original thread they dident mention she was a bulker my mistake assuming she was a vlcc she’s still a big girl doubt she will be removed to expensive 

[impulse]

14 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Fossile fuels are toxic and destructive by the use of it and by disasters like this one .

Well known fact , but never changed ... a more developed world would use Hydrogen instead , but the oil lobby is too powerful and greedy .

Again , it is the environment that pays the price , and , with that , the people living near that disaster zone ...

 

And exactly where would they get the hydrogen?  It's not as if they'd just find it in nature. 

 

Not to mention the trillions of dollars to build the infrastructure to make enough hydrogen, trillions more to store it and move it around and pump it to the end user, and still more trillions to convert machinery to use it.

 

[digger70]

18 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Fossile fuels are toxic and destructive by the use of it and by disasters like this one .

Well known fact , but never changed ... a more developed world would use Hydrogen instead , but the oil lobby is too powerful and greedy .

Again , it is the environment that pays the price , and , with that , the people living near that disaster zone ...

Hydrogen  Gas is a  Perfect for Fuel for  an combustion engine. one can make it at home but it uses a lot of power to make it. It's also a bit of trouble storing the H Gas

The Big Greedy companies they try to rip of  people  by selling the H Gas  and than convert it to electricity than run a n electric motor/car . That just means More money for the Greedy.

[steven100]

On 8/16/2020 at 4:58 PM, ratcatcher said:

Here's a photo of her grounded off Point D'Esny, Mauritius on July 26. 

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:463306/zoom:9

A bulker built in 2007 . Loads iron ore or coal NOT oil. In the picture she appears to be in ballast.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:463306/mmsi:372711000/imo:9337119/vessel:WAKASHIO

Hopefully the oil released from the vessel will be cleaned up as fast as possible. 

In the latest developments .....

Captain of Mauritius oil spill tanker MV Wakashio arrested and charged over environmental 'catastrophe'.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/mauritius-oil-spill-tanker-captain-mv-wakashio-arrested-charged-environmental-impact-recovery-efforts/7657c08b-dbbe-4a2a-93b4-5a29e4e9d131

Authorities in Mauritius have arrested the captain of the Japanese ship that ran aground on a coral reef and spilled 1000 tonnes of oil on the Indian Ocean island's protected coastline.

Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, captain of the MV Wakashio and who is from India, was charged with "endangering safe navigation" and is in custody pending a bail hearing next week, police inspector Sivo Coothen said yesterday.

Edited August 19, 2020 by steven100

[ratcatcher]

On 8/19/2020 at 6:43 PM, steven100 said:

In the latest developments .....

Captain of Mauritius oil spill tanker MV Wakashio arrested and charged over environmental 'catastrophe'.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/mauritius-oil-spill-tanker-captain-mv-wakashio-arrested-charged-environmental-impact-recovery-efforts/7657c08b-dbbe-4a2a-93b4-5a29e4e9d131

Authorities in Mauritius have arrested the captain of the Japanese ship that ran aground on a coral reef and spilled 1000 tonnes of oil on the Indian Ocean island's protected coastline.

Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, captain of the MV Wakashio and who is from India, was charged with "endangering safe navigation" and is in custody pending a bail hearing next week, police inspector Sivo Coothen said yesterday.

A bit late in replying but the reporters at https://www.9news.com.au/  really ought to do their homework.

 

"Environmentalists in Mauritius are objecting to plans to pull the bow of the ship — the smaller part of the Wakashio — out to sea and allow it to sink.

The larger part of the ship will be dragged off the coral reef where it ran aground and towed away, possibly to India for salvage.

"Authorities say they will tow the bow eight nautical miles out to sea and sink it in the waters that are 2000 feet deep," Sunil Dowarkasing, an environmental consultant and former member of parliament in Mauritius, said."

 

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=wakashio&sxsrf=ALeKk023H9mB90VaXh8ysLW5On9BSNBcJw:1598080711859&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2_JvJoq7rAhUq63MBHVmgDlgQ_AUoAXoECBQQAw&biw=1536&bih=722

 

The stern is the smaller part containing the valuable  engine room, machinery, superstructure and all navigation equipment etc. This may be towed to Alang,  India for salvage. https://www.google.com/search?q=india+ship+salvage+beach&sxsrf=ALeKk02w16oI8BQykY-Uk-vOpDSGp0ydWA:1598080877908&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi16rKYo67rAhXBjOYKHUMTA2gQ_AUoAXoECBMQAw&biw=1536&bih=722

 

The larger midships and bow section./was towed offshore 8 miles and sunk in 2000ft of ocean..

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/mauritius-proceeds-to-scuttle-wakashio-with-support-from-british-team

 

Edited August 22, 2020 by ratcatcher
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[rcummings]

On 8/17/2020 at 2:04 AM, impulse said:

 

And exactly where would they get the hydrogen?  It's not as if they'd just find it in nature. 

 

Not to mention the trillions of dollars to build the infrastructure to make enough hydrogen, trillions more to store it and move it around and pump it to the end user, and still more trillions to convert machinery to use it.

 

Right now, most hydrogen comes from methane. But there's been a lot of work done lately in using electrolysis on sea water. The electricity would come from excess power generated by wind turbines and solar cells. Lots of progress made in improving membrane and catalyst cost and efficiency.