Indian Coast Guard sends 10-member team to Mauritius to assist with oil spill operation

A 10-member specialist team from the Indian Coast Guard has been sent to Mauritius in an effort to assist with the oil spill containment operation.

According to reports, Japanese ship MV Wakashio struck a coral reef on July 25 near the coast of Mauritius and after days of pounding by rough waves, the tanker began leaking fuel into the water. By August 6, roughly 1,000 tonnes of fuel began to leak.

Read: Mauritius Residents Cutting Off Hair To Make Nets And Tubes To Soak Catastrophic Oil Spill

Specialised team deployed to provide assistance

As per an official release, "Consequent to a high-level decision by Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Defence, the Indian Coast Guard has deputed a 10-member specialist pollution response team along with pollution response equipment to Mauritius for supplementing ongoing efforts to contain an oil spill from bulk carrier MV Wakashio on its South-Eastern coastline."

In addition to a ten-member team, India has also sent 30 tonnes of specialised equipment in an effort to help authorities and volunteers in Mauritius with the salvage, clean-up and containment of the oil spill. As per reports the equipment and the team have already landed on the island nation via an Indian Air Force aircraft.

Read: Mauritius Oil Spill: PM Jugnauth Says Almost All Leaked Fuel Has Been Pumped Out

The release also added that the India Coast Guard team sent to Mauritius is qualified in handling pollution response operations at sea, and thus will be of great assistance in the subsequent clean-up operations.

The release also read: "The various pollution response equipment such as ocean and river Booms, skimmers, salvage barge were dispatched to combat the oil spill,".

The India Coast Guard team will work side by side with teams and experts from various other nations and specialised international organisations like IMO and ITOPF in an effort to protect Mauritius' pristine waters and ecosystem. The assistance being provided to Mauritius during this disaster is in line with the Prime Minister of India's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth of All the Region).

(Input/Image Credit ANI)

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