India Sends Team To Help Clean Mauritius Oil Spill
Last month on 25th July, bulk carrier vessel MV Wakashio ran aground on a reef in the south-eastern part of Mauritius. The vessel carried around 4000 metric tons of fuel and the spill thereafter threatens to impact the entire ecologically sensitive region.
India has sent assistance to Mauritius to deal with the oil spill which included a 10 member response team from the Indian coast guard and 30 tonnes of technical equipment including oil 10,000 absorbent pads.
The assistance, in response to a request by the Mauritius government, was sent on India Air Force’s C-17 Globemaster. The equipment includes Ocean Booms, River Booms, Disc Skimmers, Heli Skimmers, Power packs, Inflators, Blowers, Salvage barge, and 10000 oil absorbent pads
The Oil absorbent pads are manufactured by India using graphene, an allotrope of carbon, and have been supplied by Indian Oil Corporation.
The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said, “India’s assistance is in line with its policy to extend humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to its neighbours in the Indian Ocean region, guided by the Prime Minister’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region)” and the “urgent assistance reflects the close bonds of friendship between India and Mauritius and India’s abiding commitment to assist the people of Mauritius in need.”
It is interesting to know that the equipment has been provided by the Indian Coast Guard. The coast guard is the nodal body under India’s National Oil Spill-Disaster Contingency Plan(NOS-DCP).
India is exploring avenues to help Mauritius to deal with the Oil spill. As an initial response Indian Oil (Mauritius) Limited (IOML) sent a barge ‘Tresta Star’ towards the site and was able to evacuate 1000 tonnes of fuel oil from a tank by August 10.
India has been reaching out to countries of the Indian ocean amidst the COVID pandemic. This includes assistance to Mauritius with essential medicines that included a special consignment of Ayurvedic medicines.
