The upturned Mauritian Sir Gaetan tugboat, taken by Indian Navy divers three days after the sinking ... [+]
The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius is still reeling from the major oil spill that has devastated a large part of its Eastern coast. Direct oil impact has been found on 10% of the island’s entire coastline (32 kilometers of the island’s 330 kilometer coastline).
An area 125 km square has been cordoned off from all vessels. All fishing activities have been ... [+]
However an even larger area - over 125 square kilometers of the coral lagoon - has been cordoned off, and there are fears that the environmental impact could be much larger than just the direct impact, with many endangered species in the region now at risk of extinction. Chemicals from the toxic oil spill is likely accumulating along the complex biological chain around the fragile reefs and spreading far beyond the initial source of the leak.
Such an oil leak in a region of such diverse biodiversity is unprecedented and requires careful study to understand its full impact.
During the dramatic months of July and August, the salvage operation of a large Japanese vessel called The Wakashio, went very badly wrong in Mauritius. Over the course of several weeks, the salvage lurched from one catastrophic response to the next, and resulted in the loss of four crew of a Mauritian tugboat supporting the salvage operation.
An Indian Navy vessel supporting Mauritius at the time, the INS Nireekshak, was deployed and found the overturned Sir Gaetan tug on September 4. The navy deployed an underwater dive and camera team, who captured the state of the vessel, and placed concrete anchors around the wreck to stabilize it from ongoing currents.
It was from this underwater footage, available online and which has now been passed to the Mauritian Government, that Mauritian investigative journalist, Reuben Pillay, published a new theory on the sinking of this tugboat.
12 days of hell for Mauritius from Japanese vessel The Wakashio
This aerial picture taken on August 16, 2020, shows the MV Wakashio bulk carrier spilling oil into ... [+]
The large Japanese vessel, the Wakashio, sat on an important coral reef of Mauritius for 12 days after sailing off course, and then started leaking oil on August 6 into a series of important nature reserves in South East Mauritius. The vessel split in two on August 15. The larger front portion (the bow) of the vessel was then controversially and deliberately sunk in the Indian Ocean, potentially in breach of several international maritime pollution laws.
The fact that the UN shipping regulator – the IMO – has not issued a statement or even had senior representative speak on the record about the violations of the laws that this very organization developed, shows the scant regard the IMO has shown for sustainability and the health of the ocean environment.
The rear (stern) of the Wakashio continues to sit on the fragile reefs of Mauritius, grinding away at the delicate structures, that had already been under pressure from climate change. Japanese scientists have already revealed that visibility in the coral lagoon due to the sediment from the reefs being ground has been reduced by 75% even 1.5 kilometers away. This will impact the ability of the reefs to grow through photosynthesis and risks suffocating this entire region of coral reefs, which form an important coastal protection barrier for South East Mauritius.
The Mauritius Port Authority tugboat, the Sir Gaetan supporting the salvage operations around the ... [+]
In between these two events, was the tragic case of one of the Wakashio’s salvage support vessels. An older Mauritius Port Authority tugboat, called the Sir Gaetan Duval after a famous leader of Mauritius, was towing an oil barge called the l’Ami Constant. The Sir Gaetan Duval was labelled Sir Gaetan on the tugboat’s hull.
During large swells in the evening of 31 August, the Sir Gaetan was caught taking on water and issued an S.O.S.
Confusion overnight on September 1st
Satellite tracking reveals the emergency mobilization of private vessels to attempt to rescue the ... [+]
Mauritian coastguard aircraft and boats had been scrambled, and satellites picked up other vessels changing course overnight to assist the distressed tugboat.
The vessel had 8 crew on board when it sunk within the coral lagoon of Mauritius, 30 miles North of the Wakashio shipwreck. Four crew were rescued by helicopter, the coastguard and the local fishing community who had been watching from the shore.
Four lives have been lost (three bodies were recovered and the captain is still missing more than a month after the incident).
The appearance of the wife of the captain and his elderly mother on national TV expressing their anguish at his loss, caused outrage in the island nation where local maritime accidents had been rare.
A second oil spill?
In the confusion of the night on September 1, the Mauritius Port Authority had issued a statement announcing that the Sir Gaetan had been towing an oil barge following the operation to pump the remaining oil from the rear of the Wakashio, raising concerns about the risk of a second oil spill.
Fishermen in the North of the island had recorded an oil-slick like substance two days later on September 3. It is unclear whether any oil fingerprinting has taken place of this oil-like substance.
A local dive group then produced a video showing their attempts to extract oil from the overturned tugboat.
65% underestimation of oil at risk of leaking
On September 11, the Government of Mauritius initially announced that there was 25 meters cube of oil being held on board the Sir Gaetan tugboat, which is 6600 gallons of oil. That is the equivalent of filling over 500 tanks of Toyota Corolla cars (whose tank size is 13 gallons).
However, media reports on September 16 revealed the actual amount was 38 tons, equivalent to 38 meters cube or 10,000 gallons. This is 56% more than what was initially stated and equivalent to 770 Toyota Corolla cars.
Yet by September 18, the numbers jumped again and the Government announced that 41.5 meters cube of oil had been removed. This is equivalent to 11,000 gallons of oil, or almost 850 Toyota Corolla car tanks.
This is a 65% difference from what was originally announced just seven days earlier.
The lack of accuracy about basic facts and statistics has been what has created a deep mistrust between the citizens and the Government through the Wakashio grounding, oil spill and salvage.
With all the scrutiny about these basic facts, it is astounding that the Japanese vessel owner, Nagashiki Shipping Co Ltd can believe it does not need to disclose the final amount of oil that was leaked from the Wakashio into the Mauritius’ lagoon. Such lack of disclosure is disruptive to the clean up operation and has eroded trust with the Mauritian public.
If this was any other industry - such as banking - timely disclosure of any breach is material to a regulator and critical to rebuild trust with the public. Not disclosing this information almost two months since the last disclosure has fast-eroded both the ship owner, Nagashiki Shipping, and ship operator, Mitsui OSK Lines, social license to operate ships safely.
The last estimate of oil leaked issued by Nagashiki Shipping was on August 11 (four days before the vessel split in two). In that disclosure, Nagashiki shipping revealed that 720 tons (201,600 gallons) had leaked into the lagoon, and 1600 tons (448,000 gallons) remained on board the Wakashio. In total, this represents the equivalent of the fuel tanks of 50,000 Toyota Corollas - around a quarter of all the cars that exist in Mauritius.
The US Embassy gave a range of between 210,000 and 300,000 gallons that could have been leaked, revealing the 50% range of uncertainty that is plaguing the recovery and rehabilitation efforts. This lack of precision and accurate data over multiple months by the polluting entity is likely to be a focus area for investigators.
How did the Sir Gaetan sink?
Indian Navy diver approaches overturned Sir Gaetan from the rear of the vessel. The vessel is ... [+]
However, questions have continued to swirl about the sinking of Sir Gaetan.
The main questions have been:
1. Why was Sir Gaetan involved in the salvage in the first place?
11 Aug 2020: a range of support vessels commissioned by SMIT Salvage were involved in the operation ... [+]
The Wakashio’s owner and insurer, Japan P&I Club, had signed a salvage agreement on July 26 with SMIT Salvage. The Mauritian Prime Minister revealed this was the Lloyds Standard Form of Salvage Agreement (LOF) agreement. Usually under such an agreement, the salvage team would be responsible for all aspects of the salvage, but the Coastguard and Government would be consulted and supervise the operation to ensure more harm is not being caused.
In a statement issued by the Government of Mauritius on August 31, just hours before the sinking of the Sir Gaetan, the Prime Minister said, “Under this Salvage Agreement, the Salvage Team is responsible to salve the vessel and take the vessel to a place of safety. The Salvage Team has the environmental obligation to use their best endeavors to prevent or minimize damage to the environment while performing the salvage services. This is in line with section 147 of Merchant Shipping Act.”
For the Mauritian tugboat to be participating in the salvage operation, this was effectively a subsidy by the Mauritian taxpayers on the insurance company, who was responsible for the entire salvage operation of the Wakashio.
A similar complaint was heard by citizens in Sri Lanka when the oil tanker that experienced a boiler explosion and large fire, the MT New Diamond, also raised the question why its service personnel were put in harm’s way, and then a legal technicality in an obscure shipping law meant that Sri Lanka ended up being financially penalized for towing the vessel to safety.
Japan P&I Club have not responded to any international media inquiries on the Wakashio grounding and sinking, raising questions about their conduct throughout the entire incident since July 25. Representatives of Japan P&I Club have been in Mauritius soon after the initial grounding of the Wakashio.
2. How did the incident occur?
The initial reports of the sinking blamed poor weather and high swells. The captain had reported water flooding the engine room and the boat overturning, but there has been a lot of confusion about the events of that evening and how the vessel could have sunk.
3. Who is responsible?
Ultimately, the tragedy of the Sir Gaetan tugboat should be included within the scope of the Wakashio inquiry. The deaths and the sinking of the Sur Gaetan tugboat would not have occurred had the Wakashio not been grounded and the salvage operation been so poorly handled.
Questions will also be asked about who ordered the vessel out at such a late time in the day, when the evening conditions were known to be more hazardous.
There are also questions about the nature of Sir Gaetan’s involvement was in the salvage operation of the Wakashio, which was being overseen by SMIT Salvage, as agreed in a legal contract with the insurer, Japan P&I Club.
While these questions will be important to understand the root cause of the incident, Mauritian investigative journalist Reuben Pillay has identified new threads to the enquiry for how the 27 year old tugboat could have sunk.
Investigative journalist’s new findings
Using footage from the dive team from the Indian Navy who found the wreck of the Sir Gaetan, he discovered a mysterious crack in the hull of the tugboat. Using this, as well as drone footage of the oil barge it was towing, he was able to raise several important questions for the inquiry.
His video (in French) can be accessed here.
Here are his main findings.
1. Sir Gaetan tugboat before sinking
A lot of footage and imagery exists about the Sir Gaetan tugboat before it sank, as it was filmed prominently in the harbor of Port Louis and around the Wakashio.
Reuben Pillay’s initial assessment is that above the waterline, the Sir Gaetan appears well maintained.
Port side of Sir Gaetan a few days prior to the sinking. Starboard side shown earlier, above.
2. Voith Water Tractor
To understand the wreck underwater, he then analyses the Voith Water Tractor that is used in such tug vessels. This was helpful to identify the front from the rear of the vessel when it was discovered overturned and underwater.
Explanation of the Voith Water Tractor
Video explaining how Voith Water tractors look in dry dock
Identifying the Voith Water Tractor underwater at the front of the sunken Sir Gaetan tugboat
3. Location found by Indian Navy
He then shows the location the vessel was found. It sunk in 18m depth in the North East of the country, just off the coast of Poudre d’Or in the shallow coral lagoon.
The outline of the hull can be seen by drone overhead.
Hull of the sunken Sir Gaetan can be seen at 18 meter depth in the clear waters of Mauritius' coral ... [+]
4. Condition of the vessel underwater
Pillay goes on to assess the condition in which the vessel is situated underwater. It is seen resting on its left side (port) with its right side (starboard) pointing upwards. There is extensive footage by the Indian dive team of the starboard side, that is pointing upwards.
He also observes the condition of the hull, which appears to be clear on the starboard side and underneath the vessel.
Analysis of the Sir Gaetan from the rear of the vessel
5. Crack in the hull
He then zooms into the part of the video by the Indian Navy team, that reveals a heavily dented and scratched hull.
Within this, he also observes that there appears to be a crack in the Sir Gaetan hull. He suggests this was likely to be on the port side, as no crack was visible on the starboard side that was pointing toward the surface.
The crack appears to have been caused by a sharp object that penetrated the hull, rather than a stress fracture, and appears to have dragged across, before exiting and making a larger exit hole. The region where the vessel sank was largely sandy and full of corals at 18m depth. The volcanic rock from solidified lava is often closer to the coast.
Pillay highlights a penetration in the hull of the Sir Gaetan tugboat can be seen, with what looks ... [+]
The larger hole on the right with what appears to be broken off debris inside, implies the ... [+]
6. Comparison with oil barge
The oil barge had broken free of the tugboat and was unattached. The morning after the dramatic sinking, the oil barge had been found drifting into another nature reserve, Ile d’Ambre in the North of Mauritius, close to the sinking of the Sir Gaetan.
Using drone footage taken of the barge, Reuben Pillay was able to observe damage around the barge, and then most notably, that one of the metal rope bollards had broken off.
Drone footage of the barge that had been found the following day and attached to rocks just a few ... [+]
In the video, Pillay reveals that the front right metal bollard appears to be broken and placed on ... [+]
7. Questions about the towing technique of the oil barge
Reuben Pillay reports that the oil barge had been attached to the port (left) side of the tugboat, so it would have been closer to the island, being shielded from the waves by the tugboat.
He observes that given one of the bollards for the rope ties had broken off on the starboard (right), could this have occurred from an impact that would have weakened the bollard.
Pillay wonders whether one of the bollards could have been responsible for the gash in the side of ... [+]
Important new questions to address
This raises six new questions:
1. What is the environmental risk to Mauritius’ Northern reefs for having a tugboat sunk, where the currents could push the tug further against Mauritius’ reefs? In several tropical countries around the world, such wrecks had to be removed due to the risk of ‘Black Reef.’ Are there plans to remove the Sir Gaetan from the coral lagoon?
2. Was the cause of the sinking due to poor navigation or poor attachment of the oil barge to the tugboat?
3. Who ordered the vessel to leave Port Louis at that time? Especially given the weather conditions were well understood by the Meteorological Service of Mauritius, local fishermen and tour boat operators who live along the East Coast of Mauritius.
4. What risk assessment had been conducted about the structural imbalance to a tug of towing an oil barge at that time when there were known large swells in the evening?
5. Who was responsible for the maintenance and certification of the tugboat?
6. Who is liable for this avoidable incident? Why was the Sir Gaetan tugboat even involved in the Wakashio salvage operation at all – an operation that had been commissioned by the Japan P&I club appointed salvor, SMIT Salvage?
Again, more questions than answers with the Wakashio, as this saga continues to drag on for the citizens of Mauritius, and the scope of the inquiry becomes larger and larger.
It is expected that an investigation of the Sir Gaetan will be included in the final incident report of the Wakashio so the lessons learnt can be shared internationally to avoid such tragedies and loss of life from occurring again.
Had there been more transparency in the initial response to the Wakashio, perhaps a more effective and safer operation would have avoided the unnecessary loss of life and ongoing environmental tragedy that continues to plague the once paradise Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.
