What is believed to be one of Mauritius' worst ecological disasters took place 2 months ago when the Japanese cargo ship 'MV Wakashio' ran aground on the coral reefs off the coast of Mauritius. Days later, the ship started breaking up, releasing 1000 tons of bunker fuel and polluting more than 26 square kilometres of coast.
Beyond its immediate environmental impact, the spill threatens the rare biodiversity found in the 2 marine protected areas. Some of these being animals and plants (such as the pink pigeon) which are only found in that area. It also affects the thousands of locals who rely on it for food and income, as well as the 1.3 million people who work in the country's tourism industry.
This spill is sadly one of many.The shipping industry is one of the planet's biggest greenhouse gas emitters, and were it a country, would be the 6th highest emitter of greenhouse gases.So how do we prevent this industry from doing more harm in the future?
Shipping and regulations
In a recent article for Forbes, it was highlighted that a key component in preventing spills is by conducting proper risk assessments on the vessels and their crew so that the vehicles don't end up on coastlines they could damage in the first place. Many ship owners have now taken to what is known as "jurisdiction shopping", which means hunting for countries which have the least burdensome regulations. Stauncher vehicle registration standards in countries (like Panama, where the 'MV Wakashio' was registered, and a country with the highest number of ships registered by foreign owners) could be critical in conducting the proper assessments needed to prevent spills occurring.
View this post on InstagramThe oil spill in Mauritius reminds us of the danger fossil fuels pose to our environment 💔💔💔 We continue to stand in solidarity with the affected communities in Mauritius, and call for the polluters to be held accountable for the harm they have caused to this precious ecosystem!✊ . . . #breakfreefromfossilfuels #oilspill #mauritius #oceans #biodiversity #protecttheoceans #marinelife #pollution
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A sustainable ocean economy
Governments need to commit to building what is known as a "sustainable ocean economy", and a number of ways in which this could be done (stricter registration policies being one of them) are outlined in this article. As everyday consumers we may not be able to implement stricter ship registration regulations immediately, but acting on oil spills are not completely out of our control. Given that we are responsible for buying the goods that are transported, our practices can have huge impacts on what ships are used, and how often they are transporting goods. American companies such as SmartWay analyse shipping companies and other couriers to ensure supply chains are made sustainable. By referring to their lists of partners, you can check whether the company used to deliver your product uses fuel saving technologies, meet strict risk assessed standards, and document their low fuel emissions.
Outside of assessing the company your goods are transported on, Shopify has outlined smaller changes you can make in the process of ordering which can be found here.
If you would like to help out the oil spill in Mauritius here are a number of things you can do:
Sign the petition urging the UN Environmental Programme to get involved, or by donating to the Mauritian based NGO Eco-Sud, or the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation
Written by Frances Housdon
Fran is a young South African journalism graduate passionate about the outdoors, and getting other people to enjoy them with her. She loves paddling down long rivers, exploring big mountains and consuming bulk quantities of peanut butter.
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