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Oil spill: India sends technical assistance to Mauritius

India on Sunday sent 30 tonnes of technical equipment to deal with the environmental crisis triggered by the oil spill from MV Wakashio, on the coast of Mauritius. The Ministry of External Affairs said the material will be used to contain the damage to the marine ecology.

“India’s assistance is in line with its policy to extend humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to its neighbours in the Indian Ocean region, guided by the Prime Minister’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region),” said the Ministry of External Affairs.

As part of the consignment, India has sent ocean booms, river booms, disc skimmers, hell skimmers, power packs, blowers, salvage barge and oil absorbent graphene pads and other accessories that will help Mauritius skim oil from water.

“A 10-member Technical Response Team, consisting of the Coast Guard (ICG) personnel specially trained for dealing with oil spill containment measures, has also been deployed to Mauritius to extend technical and operational assistance at the site,” said the MEA.

The MV Wakashio ran aground at Pointe D’esny in July and oil began leaking out from the vessel in the first week of August creating an environmental crisis in the south-east coast of Mauritius. The government of Mauritius has declared the incident as a national emergency which is likely to impact marine life forms in the region.

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