Mauritius oil spill: Satellite images show scope of disaster with fuel spreading seven miles

A devastating oil slick from a Japanese ship that ran aground on a reef off Mauritius two weeks ago has spread more than seven miles, satellite images show. The Wakashio hit a coral reef off the island on July 25 with 4,000 tonnes of fuel and some 1,180 tonnes of fuel has leaked into the sea. The oil slick has spread 7.1 miles (11.5 kilometers) from Blue Bay Marine Park to the tourist island of Ile aux Cerfs on the east coast of Mauritius.

More than 1,000 tonnes of fuel has leaked into the pristine waters of the island from the MV Wakashio, with fears more could spill as the ship begins to split in half, spilling a further 1,800 left in the ship.

The Wakashio hit a coral reef off the island on July 25 with 4,000 tonnes of fuel and some 1,180 tonnes of fuel has leaked into the sea.

A huge crack pictured in the hull of the Japanese-owned MV Wakashio.

Fishermen and skippers tend to a makeshift oil extraction device at the Mahebourg Waterfront in Riviere des Creoles, Mauritius, today.

The devastating oil slick from Japanese ship the MV Wakashio has spread 7.1 miles (11.5 kilometres) from Blue Bay Marine Park to the tourist island of Ile aux Cerfs on the east coast of the island.

Volunteers prepare to place handmade oil barriers in the sea at the Mahebourg Waterfront in Riviere des Creoles, Mauritius, today.

Volunteers line up barrels at the Mahebourg Waterfront in Riviere des Creoles, Mauritius, today to help in the clean up of the oil slick.

A man collects leaked oil from the bulk carrier ship MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, that ran aground on a reef, at Riviere des Creoles, Mauritius on Monday.

A volunteer is seen in the leaked oil from the bulk carrier ship MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, that ran aground on a reef, at Riviere des Creoles, Mauritius on Monday.

Workers clean a coastal area covered with oil in Mahebourg, Mauritius last week. About 1,800 tonnes of fuel remained onboard the fragile vessel.

In this satellite image provided by 2020 Maxar Technologies on Friday, an aerial view of oil leaking from the MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier ship that recently ran aground off the southeast coast of Mauritius.

A man scoops leaked oil from the vessel MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, that ran aground near Blue Bay Marine Park off the coast of south-east Mauritius.

Local volunteers making absorbent barriers of straw stuffed into fabric sacks to contain oil from the MV Wakashio.

The bulk carrier ship MV Wakashio, that ran aground on a reef, at Riviere des Creoles, Mauritius, is pictured above.

People scoop leaked oil from the vessel MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, that ran aground and caused oil leakage near Blue bay Marine Park in southeast Mauritius on Sunday.

A combination handout photo shows the waters near Pointe d'Esny before and after the oil leak from the bulk carrier ship MV Wakashio, in Pointe d'Esny, Mauritius, on August 1, 2020 and August 6, 2020 in these Copernicus Sentinel-2 imageries obtained by Reuters on August 9, 2020.

A still image taken from a drone video shows a cleanup crew working at the site of an oil spill after the bulk carrier ship MV Wakashio ran aground on a reef, at Riviere des Creoles, Mauritius on Friday.

Local volunteers clean up oil washing up on the beach from the MV Wakashio, a Japanese owned Panama-flagged bulk carrier ship which is leaking oil as it recently ran aground off the southeast coast of Mauritius on Sunday.

An undated handout photo made available by the Office of the Reunion Region in Mauritius shows local volunteers making absorbent barriers of straw stuffed into fabric sacks to contain oil from the MV Wakashio.

A photo provided by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation Ministry shows oil leaking from the MV Wakashi.

Local volunteers making absorbent barriers of straw stuffed into fabric sacks to contain oil from the MV Wakashio, a Japanese owned Panama-flagged bulk carrier ship which is leaking oil as it recently ran aground off the southeast coast of Mauritius (issued Monday).

Thousands of students, environmental activists and residents of Mauritius were working around the clock trying to reduce the damage to the Indian Ocean island.

The waterfront of Mahebourg has been entirely smoothered in oil.

A drone image shows volunteers preparing to handle leaked oil from the bulk carrier ship MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, which ran aground on a reef, at the Riviere des Creoles, on the Mahebourg waterfront, Mauritius on Monday.

A drone image shows volunteers preparing to handle leaked oil from the bulk carrier ship MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese company but Panamanian-flagged, which ran aground on a reef, at the Riviere des Creoles, on the Mahebourg waterfront, Mauritius on Monday.

An aerial view shows people scooping leaked oil yesterday, from the MV Wakashio bulk carrier that had run aground at the beach in Bambous Virieux, southeast Mauritius.