Captain of Tanker That Wrecked in Mauritius Is Arrested, Questions Emerge About Panamanian Vessel

Captain of Tanker That Wrecked in Mauritius Is Arrested, Questions Emerge About Panamanian Vessel

The Captain of the giant tanker that ran aground off the coast of Mauritius causing a devastating oil spill in pristine marine areas was arrested last week after it emerged in local news reports that a preliminary examination by the police showed the crew was having a party on the night the ship ran off course, according to The New York Times.

Why This Matters: As Nishan Degnarain asks in Forbes, “Why has global shipping or the authorities in Panama not invested in leading-edge maritime control center – an Ocean Mission Control?

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Mauritius Scrambling to Save Wildlife and Its Tourism Industry After Devastating Oil Spill

Mauritius Scrambling to Save Wildlife and Its Tourism Industry After Devastating Oil Spill

On Saturday, the Japanese oil tanker Wakashio that ran aground three weeks ago off the coast of the island of Mauritius broke in half. The Panama-flagged vessel was traveling from China to Brazil with no cargo, but it was carrying more than 4,000 tons of heavy fuel oil and diesel, of which between 800 and 1,200 tons have already spilled. 

Why This Matters:  It is unbelievably challenging to clean up an oil spill of this magnitude — just ask anyone who stood on the beaches in Louisiana mopping up oil after the Deepwater Horizon spill.

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