Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jagnarth said on the 12th that Mauritius will seek compensation from Mitsui Co., Ltd., the owner of the spilled Japanese freighter "Wakao", for serious environmental pollution caused by the fuel spill.

The "Ruochao" ran aground on a rock in the southeastern waters of Mauritius on July 25 and began to leak oil last week. Some environmental protection activists said on the 12th that 1,000 tons of fuel oil out of the 4,000 tons of fuel oil in the cargo tanks had spilled into the sea, polluting the coastline of Mauritius, including a protected wetland.

The Associated Press reported that about 2,500 tons of fuel had been pumped away from the freighter, and workers are trying to empty the freighter before it may break into the deep ocean to avoid further pollution.

Due to the oil spill, the Mauritian government was under pressure and it was difficult to explain why it did not take immediate action at the early stage of the cargo ship’s grounding. It was not until two weeks later that the cargo ship broke and began to leak due to waves.

The French government has sent a naval ship and a military aircraft to Mauritius this week to assist the country in responding to the oil spill.