Johannesburg: The grounded Japanese ship that leaked tons of oil near protected areas off the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius has split apart, officials said Saturday, with remaining fuel spreading into the turquoise waters.
Photos posted on social media by the official cleanup effort with support of the environment ministry show the ship in two pieces, “and the tugboats are already at work.” Oil barriers were in place and a skimmer ship was nearby.
Most if not all the remaining 3,000 tons of fuel had been pumped off the ship in the past week as environmental groups warned that the damage to coral reefs and once-pristine coastal areas could be irreversible.
