Three years ago, the ship wakashio caused the worst environmental disaster in the history of Mauritius. A collective complaint was filed last week. More than a thousand victims are claiming around 100 million euros in compensation from four Japanese companies.
2 mins
with our correspondent in Port-Louis, Abdoollah Earally
On July 25, 2020, the Japanese bulk carrier wakashio carrying fuel oil and heavy oil, struck a coral reef off the coast of Mauritius. On Saturday August 15, 2020, the wreckage of the ship was breaking in twothen spilling hundreds of liters of oil into Mauritian waters.
Fishermen, yachtsmen and traders from southern villages, notably Mahébourg and Trou d’Eau Douce, are claiming compensation of more than 100 million euros from four Japanese companies: namely Okiyo Maritime, Nagashiki Shipping, Mitsui as well as as the Japanese Association for Compensation and Mutual Protection of Shipowners.
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All these companies are linked to the bulk carrier wakashio which, for reasons still unclear to this day, had left its trajectory on the night of July 25, 2020 to come aground on the breakers of Pointe-d’Esny, an idyllic place in the south of Mauritius, stained by the spill of 1000 tonnes of hydrocarbons.
The pollution had emotionally shaken the whole of Mauritius and directly affected thousands of people living on the southern coastline. The Mauritian authorities claim to have provided financial support to more than 600 fishermen and wholesalers.
For its part, the Japanese maritime company Mitsui has allocated more than 6 million euros to finance environmental projects and support the local fishing community. These compensations are considered insufficient by the victims who want the four Japanese companies linked to the wakashio be taken to court.