How Mauritius is cleaning up after major oil spill in biodiversity hotspot

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The spill released a new type of low-sulfur fuel, and its ecological effects aren't well studied, says environment advocate Jaqueline Sauzier.

When the cargo ship MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef on the southeast tip of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean almost exactly a month ago, it unleashed a vast oil spill. The Japanese-owned vessel held 200 tonnes of diesel and 3,900 tonnes of fuel oil, an estimated 1,000 tonnes of which leaked into the sea when the ship’s hull cracked on 6 August. It is the first reported spill of a new type of low-sulfur fuel that has been introduced to reduce air pollution. The spill has left a 15-kilometre stretch of the coastline — an internationally recognized biodiversity hotspot — smeared with oil.