Searching For Stronger Phone Signals, Ship Crew Caused A Massive Environmental Disaster

Last Friday, Nagashiki Shipping made public its internal review’s findings of the Wakashio oil spill in Mauritius. According to the report, the disaster was caused by the ship going off course so that the crew could search for stronger phone signals.

In a statement, the company said the crew wasn’t aware of the danger of getting too close to the coast. Back in September, Panama Maritime Authority’s statement claimed that the birthday celebration of one member of the crew was the reason why the ship veered off course.

In response to the disaster, Nagashiki Shipping promised an investment of 500 million yen into preventative measures to prevent similar oil spills from happening in the future.

The incident happened on the 25^th of July, 2020 when 1,000 tonnes of oil was spilled after the ship hit a coral reef. A national emergency was declared two weeks later by the Mauritius government.

According to Nagashiki Shipping, the cleanup process will finish in January next year.

The oil spill caused severe damage to the area – home to several marine species and plants that can be found nowhere else.

According to Dr. Corina Ciocan - marine biology senior lecturer at the University of Brighton, areas with such biodiversity are rare so the oil spill would likely impact everything.

She said the impact wasn’t limited to the oil layer on the surface. The soluble compounds in the oil would dissolve into the water of the area, creating a layer with mousse-like consistency under the surface. The oil’s heavy residues would also sink to the ocean bed.

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