Clock ticking as fuel pumped from stranded Chinese ship off Mauritius

Workers began pumping 130 tons of fuel from the stricken boat on Tuesday

Chinese fishing vessel Lurong Yuan Yu ran aground on reefs of Pointe-aux-Sables in Port Louis, Mauritius. AFP

Workers in Mauritius have begun pumping 130 tonnes of fuel from the Chinese fishing vessel. AFP

It ran aground on a coral reef on the Indian Ocean island’s west coast on Sunday. AP

The Chinese-flagged trawler that ran aground containing 130 tonnes of oil, is seen in the Indian Ocean waters at Pointe Aux Sables, on the western coast of the island of Mauritius. Reuters

The last time a large oil tanker ran aground in July 2020, a huge oil spill killed tens of dolphins and other aquatic life. Reuters

Workers in Mauritius have begun pumping 130 tons of fuel from a Chinese fishing vessel that ran aground on a coral reef on the Indian Ocean island’s west coast on Sunday. AFP

Local newspaper L’Express reported that the grounded ship has spilled a small amount of fuel into the ocean, but its hull remains intact. AP

Workers in Mauritius on Tuesday began pumping 130 tons of fuel from a Chinese fishing vessel that ran aground on a coral reef on the Indian Ocean island’s west coast.

The grounded ship has spilt a small amount of fuel into the ocean, but its hull remains intact, according to the local newspaper, L'Express.

Police helicopters are helping to remove the diesel fuel and oil lubricant because the ship is stranded in shallow waters inaccessible to tugboats, the newspaper reported. It is expected to take up to five days to empty the ship and remove it from the reef, it said.

The 46-metre trawler Lu Rong Yuan Yu ran aground when it was entering the port of Pointe-aux-Sables on Sunday, the newspaper reported. The Ministry of Fisheries has launched a preliminary investigation into how the accident happened.

Sixteen crew members are safe and are now in quarantine on the island, the paper reported.

The quick efforts to remove all fuel from the Chinese ship come after the island's officials took nearly two weeks to respond in July last year when a bulk carrier ship was stranded on the south-east coast.

Battered by waves, the hull of that ship, the Japanese Wakashio, broke in two, causing a spill of about 1,000 tons of fuel. It caused significant damage to the island's environmentally pristine reserve.