International Maritime Organization
IMO continues to support international efforts to respond to the oil spill in Mauritius, following the break up of the MV Wakashio. IMO and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) have jointly deployed an expert, who is advising the Government of Mauritius on the mitigation of the impacts on the environment and coastal communities.
27 DECEMBER 2021
Deutsche Welle (Bonn)
Captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar admitted he had been drinking alcohol as cargo ship Wakashio ran aground in July 2020, spilling more than 1,000 tons of fuel into the Indian Ocean.
The captain and first officer of a cargo ship that crashed into a coral reef off Mauritius, resulting in the Indian Ocean archipelago's worst ever environmental disaster, were handed 20-month prison sentences on Monday.
The Wakashio cargo ship was sailing from Singapore to Brazil when it struck the coral reef on July 25, 2020. Some 1,000 tons of oil began spilling into the pristine waters on August 6, prompting the Mauritius government to declare a state of "environmental emergency."
"The court took into consideration the fact that both defendants pleaded guilty and apologized. The sentence handed down is 20 months in prison," said magistrate Ida Dookhy Rambarrun.
Navigating under the influence
The freighter's captain - Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, who was convicted by a court in the capital, Port Louis, last week - admitted drinking alcohol during an onboard birthday celebration.
He and the Japanese-owned bulk carrier's first officer - Hitihanillage Subhoda Janendra Tilakaratna - were found guilty of "endangering safe navigation."
"The captain and his second in command were irresponsible and did not deliver as they should on their 'navigational duties'," the magistrate added.
The captain said he had given instructions to approach Mauritian waters so the crew could acquire cellphone coverage and have the opportunity to get in touch with their families, but then disaster struck.
"The sea was bad, but the visibility was clear and it was safe to navigate," Nandeshwar explained. "At one point, the ship could not move and had touched the sea floor."
"Since I had had a few drinks, it did not seem worthwhile to intervene and it did not occur to me that we were sailing that close."
jsi/dj (AFP)
Mauritius oil spill: Ship's captain admits to partying onboard, gets jail sentence
GALLO IMAGES - GETTY IMAGES
The captain and first officer of a dry bulk carrier, which triggered the biggest environmental disaster in Mauritius, have been sentenced to 20 months in prison in the Indian Ocean island nation.
Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, the captain, and Subodha Tilakaratna, the first officer of the MV Wakashio were sentenced in the Intermediate Court of Mauritius on Monday. Both pleaded guilty on December 20 to the charge of endangering safe navigation.
Since the two men have been in police custody for almost 16 months and the guilty plea means leniency in the sentencing, the length of imprisonment are deemed to have been completed.
“If we take into account the time spent on remand and remission for good conduct, the sentence may be seen as served,” Amira Peeroo, lawyer for Tilakaratna said in a phone interview from Port Louis, after the sentencing.
Mauritius battled widespread pollution following the oil spill, which threatened the livelihoods of communities that depend on the ocean, and the Blue Bay Marine reserve, popular with snorkelers. The Mauritian economy relies on tourists who flock to its white-sand beaches is also reeling from the coronavirus fallout.
The 300m long Japanese ship was en route to Brazil from China when it veered off course in the evening on July 25, 2020 and hit a coral reef. Two weeks later, fuel oil started leaking with about 1 000 tons reaching the shores. The vessel then broke into two and sunk.
Nandeshwar admitted to drinking and partying. He agreed that the vessel sailed close to the Mauritian shores so that they could get mobile phone signals, according to media reports.
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