Japan's Nagashiki Shipping, which owns the bulk carrier that ran aground on a reef in Mauritius and caused a large oil spill, said on Tuesday it has completed scuttling of the front part of the vessel on Monday as instructed by local authorities.

Satellite image obtained courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows a close-up view of the forward section of the MV Wahashio shipwreck off the coast of Mauritius on August 19. Photo: VCG

The shipping company will continue planning with local authorities and specialists on the removal of the remaining part of the carrier from the reef, it said in a statement.

Mauritius said on August 19 that it would scuttle the ship's remains at sea in a way that would avoid further pollution or interfere with maritime routes, after taking in recommendations from various groups on how and where to sink the ship to conform with advice of French experts present on the island.

Nagashiki said it has submerged the carrier in water designated by the local authorities.

The MV Wakashio had about 3,800 tons of heavy oil and about 200 tons of light oil as fuel as of July 25 when it ran aground. Except for about 1,000 tons of oil that had spilled overboard almost all of the remaining oil on the ship was retrieved by August 12, and almost all lubricant and residues, which remained onboard, collected by Sunday, the firm said. 

The company will continue to collect oil deposits on board and suspended matter while local authorities, people and an oil spill cleaning company are continuing to collect oil that has drifted to the coast, it said.
Newspaper headline: Oil-spill carrier in Mauritius partly scuttled