Indian Naval ship visits Mauritius to assist in oil spill salvage operations

INS Nireekshak visited the nation a few days ago to engage in a salvage operation.

The Indian High Commission in Mauritius tweeted: "INS Nireekshak, a diving support vessel @indiannavy  docks at Port Louis for OTR Resources including divers on board will be available for any seaward search and rescue or medical support and specialized salvage operations relating to MV Wakashio."

Meanwhile, the national broadcaster of Mauritius, MBC1, in its newscast showed how Indian Navy's INS Nireekshak is helping deal with the oil spill in the country. 

Earlier, in response to a request of the Government of Mauritius (GoM) for assistance in dealing with the environmental crisis due to oil spill on its south-east coast, the Government of India had dispatched over 30 tonnes of technical equipment and material on board an IAF Aircraft to Mauritius to supplement the country’s ongoing oil spill containment and salvage operations.

Amid fear of an ecological crisis, Mauritius had declared a national emergency over the oil spill near its coast after an accident involving a Japanese ship, anchored off the southern part of the island nation in the Indian Ocean. 

The Japanese ship  M V Wakashio hit a coral reef causing the oil spill of over 1,000 tonnes.

According to Nature, the vessel held 200 tonnes of diesel and 3,900 tonnes of fuel oil, an estimated 1,000 tonnes of which leaked into the sea when the ship’s hull cracked on Aug 6.