Three years after bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off Mauritius, spilling 1000 tonnes of a new type of marine fuel oil, Curtin University-led research has confirmed the oil is still present in an environmentally sensitive mangrove forest close to important Ramsar conservation sites.
Lead researcher Dr Alan Scarlett, from Curtin’s WA Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the chemical ‘fingerprint’ of the oil found in the mangrove sediments was a near-perfect match for the Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) spilled by the Wakashio in 2020 – the first recorded spill involving this type of fuel.
“Local communities in Mauritius have been aware of oil contamination in the mangrove wetlands since the Wakashio spill, but no official confirmation had been made regarding the source,” Dr Scarlett said.
“Identifying and acknowledging this contamination is crucial, both for the people of Mauritius and for global understanding, as little is known about how this new marine fuel behaves once spilled.”
Dr Scarlett said samples from the mangrove wetlands, including a reference site thought to be unaffected by the spill, were analysed using advanced chemical techniques.