Support for Mauritius Oil Spill
AUGUST 17, 2020 — Effective immediately, NOAA will remotely support the global response to an environmental emergency in the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, after the bulk carrier Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef on July 25.
The grounding resulted in a spill of an estimated 210,000-300,000 gallons of oil.
Several U.S. agencies involved in spill response were convened last week as part of the National Response Team to answer a formal request from Mauritius under the procedures for international spill response support. Working through the State Department on Aug.12, the government of Mauritius accepted an offer of scientific and technical assistance from NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration. OR&R’s Emergency Response Division is establishing lines of communication and prioritizing those requests with the Mauritius Ministry of Environment. NESDIS continues to monitor and process imagery made available through the Emergency Charter activation. As requested by the Mauritius Ministry of Environment, they have produced a time series of the impacted area.
For further information, contact Donna.L.Roberts@noaa.gov.