Mauritius oil spill: Ship captain was partying as vessel sank and caused Indian Ocean region’s worst environmental disaster
- ‘I had consumed alcohol in moderation’, said Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, captain of the Japanese-owned MV Wakashio
- The carrier was sailing from Singapore to Brazil when it ran aground in July 2020, spilling more than 1,000 tonnes of toxic fuel into the pristine waters of Mauritius
The captain and first mate of a bulk carrier that crashed into a coral reef off Mauritius, causing the Indian Ocean archipelago’s worst-ever environmental disaster, have been convicted of endangering safe navigation.
The MV Wakashio, a Japanese-owned but Panamanian-flagged vessel, ran aground in July 2020, spilling more than 1,000 tonnes of toxic fuel into the pristine waters of Mauritius, coating mangroves, corals and other fragile ecosystems.
The vessel’s Indian captain, Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, who was convicted by a court in the capital Port Louis on Tuesday, admitted drinking during an on board party.
He and first officer, Sri Lankan national Hitihanillage Subhoda Janendra Tilakaratna, were found guilty of “endangering safe navigation” and are due to be sentenced on December 27.
The MV Wakashio was sailing from Singapore to Brazil with 3,800 tonnes of fuel oil and 200 tonnes of diesel on board when it ran into the reef off the southeast coast of Mauritius, a paradise island nation that heavily relies on tourism for its revenue.
“A birthday party had been held on board and I had consumed alcohol in moderation,” the 58-year-old captain said.
He added that he had given instructions to approach Mauritian waters to get a network so crew members could phone their families as they had not been in contact because of the Covid-19 pandemic.