(Saint-Denis de la Réunion) A Mauritian oil tanker ran aground on Thursday evening very close to the coast of Reunion Island, in the Indian Ocean, swept for more than twenty-four hours by the powerful cyclone Batsirai whose authorities anticipate an intensification of winds and rains.
Posted at 3:57 p.m.
“The Mauritian ship TrestaStar is stranded in the town of Saint-Philippe (south of Reunion) 30 meters from the coast,” the prefect said Thursday evening on Twitter, “an evacuation operation attempt is underway in very difficult conditions”.
PHOTO FROM MARINETRAFFIC.COM
The Mauritian ship TrestaStar photographed at anchor in front of Port-Louis, Mauritius, June 2, 2019.
“The sailors are safe and sound. They are still on board the stranded boat, ”added the prefecture, specifying that 32 people, rescuers and medical teams, were involved in this evacuation.
The crew is composed of Indians and Bangladeshis, for its part indicated the Ministry of Overseas.
“No major risk to the environment”
The prefecture clarified overnight from Thursday to Friday that the TrestaStar, a bunker-type tanker, was not loaded and contained less than 8 m3 (8000 liters) of propulsion diesel (light and volatile). The “majority” of this fuel “should disperse without major risk to the environment”, she assured.
A team of experts must go there at daybreak on Friday to assess the situation, the same source.
Struggling in heavy seas and force 10 winds, the tanker could not be towed and ran aground.
“While cyclone Batsirai is just beginning to move away from Reunion, we are currently experiencing the worst weather conditions since the start of the episode”, warned Emmanuel Cloppet, regional director of Météo-France, during a press briefing in the early evening, local time.
He mentioned winds going “up to 150 km / hour” and more than 500 mm of rain recorded in the cirques and 1200 mm in the massif of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano.
Red alert remains in effect
“The deterioration will continue in the evening. The red alert therefore remains in full force tonight “and” everyone must remain confined “, for his part warned the prefect of the island, Jacques Billant who does not plan to lift the red alert until Friday at 9 a.m. (midnight EST).
This lifting will however be suspended to “the evolution of the hurricane system”, he specified, recalling that Batsirai “has reserved some surprises for us by parking longer than expected in the north of Reunion”.
The island was placed on hurricane red alert Wednesday at 7 p.m. local time, requiring residents to barricade themselves.
Floods and rising waters
“Raise the red alert does not mean a return to normal. The consequences of the passage of the cyclone will still present dangers for the population. Caution will therefore remain in order and travel is strongly discouraged. […] except in cases of force majeure, ”assured Mr. Billant.
The prefect again asked the 860,000 inhabitants of the island to remain vigilant in terms of floods and rising waters: “We still have seven rivers placed in yellow vigilance, but their passage in orange vigilance is to be expected in the next few hours with regard to precipitation.
The prefect deplored 12 injuries during the night from Wednesday to Thursday and listed Thursday evening 38 interventions directly linked to the cyclone “for small-scale events”.
At the end of the week, Batsirai should touch the east coast of Madagascar and in particular the region of Mahanoro, forecasts Météo-France. The impact could be major for this region and heavy rains could affect the southern half of Madagascar.