Mauritius Oil Spill Tanker Captain Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The captain and first mate of the oil tanker that ran aground off the coast of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, causing an oil spill, were sentenced to 20 months in prison, Bloomberg reported on the 27th (local time).

On that day, the Mauritius court ruled, "The captain and the mate did not properly fulfill their 'navigation duties'," but considering that both defendants pleaded guilty and showed remorse, the sentence was set at 20 months in prison."

They admitted on the 20th to charges of endangering safe navigation and confessed that they were enjoying a drinking party on board at the time of the accident.

The Japanese cargo ship Wakashio ran aground off the coast of Mauritius on July 25 last year, breaking into two pieces and spilling more than 1,100 tons of toxic oil, severely polluting the surrounding coastline.

The accident occurred in ecologically important areas such as Blue Bay, famous for its coral gardens, and Pointe d'Esny, which has mangrove forests, leading environmental experts to predict that restoration of the damage will take decades.

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