Mauritius: Scientists Query Nature of Spilled Bunker Fuel

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday November 17, 2020

Concerns have been raised as to the exact make up of the bunker fuel that leaked from the Wakashio into the waters of the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.

The shipping company involved in the spill said in early November that the work to remove oil along an 18-mile segment of coastline was progressing and would be complete by January, according to UK news provider the Independent. 

However, scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have found the spilled fuel oil comprises a complex and unusual mix of hydrocarbons.

"Fuel oils are arguably the most challenging petroleum products to analyse and investigate following marine-based spills," WHOI scientist Chris Reddy said in a statement.

"There is no single recipe or set of ingredients, and it gets even more complicated with these new low-sulfur fuel oils that require more steps in their manufacture.

"We don't know if this was a low-sulfur material, but it's unlike anything we've seen spilled before — that alone demands a closer look," Reddy went on to say.

WHOI scientists have called for a fresh sample of bunker fuel to be taken from the ship for analysis, according to the Independent report.

Around 1,000 metric tonnes of bunker fuel left the Wakashio when it ran aground off the coast of Mauritius in July.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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