The captain and mate of the Wakashio, a ship whose grounding had caused the worst oil spill ever on the coast of Mauritius in 2020, were sentenced to 20 months in prison, Monday, December 27. “The court took into consideration that both defendants pleaded guilty and apologized”, said judge Ida Dookhy Rambarrun.
The Japanese bulk carrier ran aground on July 25, 2020 on a coral reef in the south-east of Mauritius, releasing more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil into its crystal-clear waters. The Indian captain, Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, who admitted during the hearing that he had been drinking at a party organized on the ship, was found guilty, as was his second Sri Lankan, Hitihanillage Subhoda Janendra Tilakaratna, of “endangering the safety of navigation” by a court in Port-Louis.
the Wakashio, under the Panamanian flag, was en route from Singapore to Brazil, with 3,800 tonnes of fuel oil and 200 tonnes of diesel on board, which quickly began to leak but the majority of which could be pumped out. “A birthday party had taken place on board and I had consumed alcohol in moderation”the captain said during his trial, adding that he had given instructions to approach Mauritian waters in order to access the telephone network, to allow crew members to contact their families.
“The sea was bad but the visibility was clear and the navigation could be done in safety (…) At one point, the ship could not move any more and had touched the seabed”, he added. “As I had had a few drinks, it didn’t seem useful to intervene and it didn’t occur to me that we were sailing so close”. Both men apologized for the crash.
This oil spill is the worst maritime pollution in the history of the country which depends on its waters for its food security and for ecotourism, in an area which is among the most beautiful coral reefs in the world. The south-eastern coast of Mauritius has two classified sites: Blue Bay, known for its corals, and Pointe d’Esny, rich in mangroves, crucial ecosystems in the face of global warming. The inhabitants quickly mobilized to contain the pollution with makeshift means, before demonstrating in the following months to denounce the management of the disaster by the authorities.