INFORMATION
Mauritius ship stuck at sea, India helped to prevent the oil spill.
India sent 30 tons of technical equipment and material through the Air Force helicopter IAF C-17 to relieve Mauritius from the oil spill crisis.
- Announcement of environmental emergency on August 7 on oil spill
- India sent material and expert team to deal with an oil spill
- A 10-member team of the Indian Coast Guard was also sent to Mauritius
The situation of an environmental emergency was created in Mauritius on August 7. India sent help on the request for help after an oil spill occurred in a Mauritius vessel. The Government of India sent 30 tons of technical equipment and material through the IAF C-17 to the Air Force to relieve Mauritius from the oil spill crisis. The Indian Coast Guard provided these devices.
A 10-member team of the Indian Coast Guard, skilled in handling the oil spill problem, was also deployed to deal with the crisis. Ten thousand high-capacity oil-absorbing pads were also sent from an Indian Air Force aircraft specially purchased by the Indian Oil Corporation. Indian Oil Corporation supplied it to Mauritius to deal with the oil spill crisis.
What is the matter
In fact, on July 25, 2020, MV Vakashio, a cargo vessel, was trapped close to the ecologically sensitive and significant tourist destination in Mauritius’ southeastern part. The 300-meter-long ship owned by Japan’s shipping company Messrs Okio Maritime Corp was going to Brazil. It was filled with about 4000 metric tons of fuel.
Due to bad weather, this vessel got stuck in the sea, and the ship arrived leakage. Withdrawal of oil was not possible. Given the oil spill, the government of Mauritius announced an environmental emergency on August 7.
How did India help
The Indian High Commission in Mauritius has been in contact with the officials of Mauritius since the beginning. To deal with this emergency, Mauritius officials met and began to discuss how to deal with this crisis. It was considered that with whose help the rescue work should be started locally.
As an immediate step, Indian Oil (Mauritius) Limited (IOML) was asked to help the Government of Mauritius. Experts of Indian Oil (Mauritius) Limited were regularly advising the Government of Mauritius on the ongoing disposal works. On August 7, Indian Oil (Mauritius) Limited began providing all possible assistance, including preventing oil spills. Indian Oil (Mauritius) Limited was able to extract 1000 tonnes of fuel oil until August 10.
Given the predominant role in Mauritius in this crisis, India was hopeful of providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief in the Indian Ocean region. As soon as Mauritius requested help from India, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs got involved in every effort. After this, a team was sent for the help of equipment and technical support from India.
Immediate coordination was established between the Indian Coast Guard and the Ministry of Defense to assist Mauritius. To provide timely help, the Foreign Secretary kept in touch with the CDS to take stock of the situation. After this, the Indian government sent 30 tons of technical equipment and material from the IAF C-17 of the Air Force helicopter to relieve Mauritius from the oil spill crisis.