The TLDR: A Japanese ship ran aground a coral reef off the coast of the island nation—and has already leaked 1,000 tons of oil into the water. The Mauritius government has declared a “state of environmental emergency"—and locals are racing to prevent an environmental disaster that threatens years of conservation efforts. The biggest threat: the remaining 2,500-3,000 tons of oil still onboard a ship that shows signs of cracking apart. 

How did this happen?

• The ship MV Wakashio—owned by Nagashiki Shipping and chartered by Mitsui OSK—left China on July 14, and was on its way to Brazil. 
• On July 25, it ran aground about one mile off the southeast coast of Mauritius. 
• The ship was supposed to be 16-32 km away from the island, and was clearly off course. 
• The crew was rescued, but the salvage crew was not able to secure the ship due to rough weather. Also a problem: a peculiar lack of urgency. 
• Wakashio remained stuck and started showing cracks on August 6. A large gash appeared on the side of the vessel—releasing 1,000 of its estimated 4,000 tons of heavy bunker fuel into the Indian Ocean.
• The Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth declared a national emergency on August 8,  calling it “a full-blown ecological disaster.”

This satellite image—yes, the slick is visible from space—reveals the exact location and extent of the spill.

Ok, how bad is this?

The location: The ship ran aground in the worst place possible—right next to two internationally protected UNESCO sites for wetlands. This includes a small coral atoll which hosts many rare plant, bird and wildlife species that are only found here. Their extinction would be truly a disaster. Also at risk: "world-important populations of reptiles with unique genetic make-up.” Key quote from a Greenpeace activist:

"Thousands of species around the pristine lagoons ... are at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution, with dire consequences for Mauritius' economy, food security and health."

The remaining oil: The biggest fear—and the reason for declaring an emergency—is that the ship may “break in two.” It is also why the PM asked the country to prepare for the "worst-case scenario.” Large cracks appeared on the side of the ship on Sunday. An oceanographer says: 

“I think it’s already too late. If the ship breaks in two, the situation will be out of control… We’re talking about a major disaster that is progressing, and it’s getting more complicated hour by hour.”

The reason: There is 2,500 tons of oil still on board—in the other two tanks of the ship. Its release into the ocean will cause irreversible damage. As of now, only 500 tons have been retrieved from the ship.

Already too late? Satellite images suggest that there has already been extensive damage:

“Aerial images show the scale of the disaster, with huge stretches of crystal-clear seas around the marooned cargo ship stained a deep inky black. Thick muck has coated mangrove forests and unspoiled inlets up and down the coastline, exacting irreparable harm and undoing years of painstaking conservation work, environmental activists say. The slick has already begun drifting further up the coast, fanned along by strong winds and currents.”

This clip captures the amount of oil in the water:

So what are they doing to stop this?

The government: France has sent a military aircraft with pollution control equipment, while Japan has sent a six-member team to help, as well. The Mauritius coast guard and several police units are also at the location. But environmentalists fear all this will be too little too late. 

The people: Thousands of residents have jumped in to save their island—even though the government has told them to stay away. They are weaving booms and nets with sugar cane leaves, plastic bottles and hair to stop the spread of the oil—until it can be vacuumed out with hoses.

Why hair? Because it absorbs oil but not water. Hence, Mauritians are shaving their heads en masse and donating it to the rescue effort. (Vox has a handy explainer on how hair helps clean up oil spills.) Watch the heroic effort below.

Is this just a case of bad luck?

No, there seems to have been a total failure of navigation and early warning systems. According to data obtained from satellite trackers, Wakashio entered Mauritius’ waters on July 23—two days before it hit the reef. As Forbes notes:

“This raises questions about why the vessel’s GPS tracking did not indicate that it was heading toward an impact with land, or why local authorities did not intervene with sufficient warning, given the clear trajectory toward the island…

 

With the ‘MV Wakashio,’ [satellite data] reveals that the vessel was travelling at 11 knots, which is standard for bulk carrier ships at sea, but more importantly did not show any slow down prior to impact.”

Also, overcrowding: Apart from this specific incident, there is the bigger problem of jam-packed shipping lanes. Traffic has increased 4X over the past twenty years. In July, over 2,000 vessels passed close by the Mauritian coast—which connects Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, and is one of the most crowded lanes in the world.

So there’s a pattern here...

Wakashio is hardly the first nor the worst case of such ecological disasters in the world’s shipping lanes:

• The worst on record: The Atlantic Empress which spilled 287,000 tons off the coast of Tobago in the West Indies back in 1979.
• The most infamous case is the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster that spilled 37,000 tons of oil—and killed 250,000 seabirds, 3,000 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, 22 killer whales, and billions of salmon eggs (See a photo-driven explainer here).
• In 2002, a Greek-operated oil tanker—which was rejected from several ports for safety reasons—split open in a storm, leaking 80% of the 77,000 tons of oil on board. It led to Spain’s worst ecological disaster—and was cleaned up at the cost of $1 billion.

Not the last: Right now, an aging oil tanker lies abandoned off the coast of Yemen, carrying 1.148 million barrels light crude. It is owned by the Yemeni government, but controlled by the Houthi rebels. The ship sprung a leak in late May, flooding its engine room with seawater. If it falls apart, the ship is likely to spill four times more oil than Exxon Valdez into the Red Sea. 

The UN is ready to do what it takes to prevent the looming catastrophe, but the ship is caught in a war zone—and a political tug-of-war between the rebels and the government. And experts are now drawing chilling parallels to the blast in Beirut:

“In the case of the Houthis, they are putting 30 million people’s lives and livelihoods and welfare at risk for strategic, military and political reasons... In the case of Beirut authorities, it looks like sheer negligence…

 

The Houthis have no interest whatsoever in throwing away strategic advantages in their war against the Saudis… The tanker is a negotiating tool to reach their strategic outcome.”

The bottomline: Our greatest tragedies are created by us. We are also the only ones who can prevent them. But where there is no will, there is no way.

Reading list

The Guardian has the best overview of the unfurling disaster in Mauritius. CNN has the best photo gallery. National Geographic offers the big picture on oil spills, and why they remain a threat. A must read: Forbes’ deep dive into Wakashio’s satellite data—and how such tracking can play a vital part in preventing spills. Nikkei Asian Review looks at the possibility of damages. Washington Post offers a must-read update on the Yemeni oil tanker.