Mauritius has announced that almost all oil from the leaking Japanese ship has now been evacuated and the country will be requesting for compensation from the owners of the ship for the ecological damage caused.

This was made known by the Prime Minister of the country, Pravind Jugnauth, last Wednesday. The office of the PM said not everything has been removed as at the time of the release as there was still residue in parts of the ship but remarkable progress had already been made.

The PM said Nagashiki Shipping will also be compensating the country for the environmental damage. The bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, has been stuck on a coral reef off the country’s coast for over two weeks now after it ran aground on July 25 and has reportedly leaked an estimated 1,000 tonnes of oil into coral reefs, mangrove forests and protected wetlands.

Jugnauth said, “It was a race against the clock, and I salute the excellent work to prevent another oil spill.”

The spill was already declared a national disaster and the government had earlier called for more international aid with France and the Foreign Ministry of Japan among those to have promised to send aid. Mauritians have been improvising means to contain the spill and to avoid further damage.

The Japanese Operator had earlier apologised for the spill and stated the company will endeavour to do everything in its power to resolve the issue that has been tagged as a major ecological disaster. The carrier was said to be carrying about 4,000 tons of fuel on its way to Brazil from China.

The affected island relies on tourism for the generation of its revenue and having already been hit by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions in most countries worldwide, the spill will further add to the plight of the country’s economy, the plight of the residents and endanger wildlife too.