Republic of Mauritius- MV Wakashio French Minister confident about Mauritian authorities taking right decision

He was speaking during a press conference, yesterday, held jointly with the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano, at the Blue Bay Marine Park Centre.    

He added that France will provide all assistance in helping Mauritius regarding the anti-pollution measures being implemented in the lagoon. On this score, he pointed out that three experts will be sent to Mauritius to assist the Mauritian authorities in decision-making following the oil spill and the split of the vessel.

He further emphasised that France is closely monitoring the evolution of the situation. He stressed that though France is well-equipped to deal with such incident, he nevertheless expressed apprehension as to the oil spill reaching the coast of Reunion Island. There are lessons to be learnt and it is important to maintain good cooperation in the Indo-Pacific sea route, where maritime traffic is intense, he said.

According to French Minister Lecornu, with the grounding of the MV Wakashio, Mauritius must seize the opportunity to reconsider the impact of such kinds of incidents on the biodiversity and maritime security. As regards the remains, he reiterated that Mauritian authorities must consider the best possible options and take the right decision for the way forward with due consideration on the protection of the biodiversity and ecosystem.

Concerning the restoration of the affected areas, the French Minister observed that it would take at least ten months for a proper cleaning of the affected areas.

For his part, the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano, underlined that Mauritius will need all necessary guidance and expertise to take stock of the damage caused to the ecosystem before proceeding with the mitigation and accompanying measures for the restoration of the flora and fauna in the region. Moreover, he stated that inputs from experts will be a requisite to carrying out a complete and methodical assessment of the social, economic and environmental impacts.

Minister Ramano also conveyed his gratitude towards friendly countries which responded favourably to Mauritius’ call for support in this period of unprecedented environmental crisis. He thanked France for its rapid intervention and remained grateful to President Emmanuel Macron who without hesitation intervened to provide immediate assistance to Mauritius.

He reiterated his appreciation as to the gesture of solidarity and patriotism demonstrated by economic operators, Non-Governmental Organisations and the population at large in dealing with the situation. The Mauritian government is confident and determined to emerge from this crisis by uniting our efforts, he concluded.

As at date all remaining 3,000 tonnes of oil have been pumped out of the vessel while 90 tonnes are still on board, much of it residue from the leakage.

With the split of the MV Wakashio, the salvage team namely SMIT Salvage Pte Ltd and Nippon Salvage Co Ltd, intend to pull the front two-thirds out to sea using two tugboats to avoid further damage to the Mauritian coastline. As to the remaining portion still stuck in the reef, a decision will be taken upon advice of experts.