India sends technical equipment, 10-member team to Mauritius to help contain oil spill

Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a state of environmental emergency and requested for assistance after a Japanese ship leaked hundreds of tonnes of oil off the country’s coast New Delhi: India has sent 30 tonnes of technical equipment and material on board an IAF aircraft to Mauritius to help the country contain an oil spill on its pristine south-east coast. A 10-member Indian Coast Guard team specialising in containing oil spill has also been deployed to Mauritius to extend necessary technical and operational assistance, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday. “In response to a request of the government of Mauritius for assistance in dealing with the environmental crisis due to oil spill on its south-east coast, the government of India has dispatched over 30 tonnes of technical equipment and material on board an IAF aircraft to Mauritius to supplement the country’s ongoing oil spill containment and salvage operations,” the MEA said in a statement. “The specialized equipment, consisting of ocean booms, river booms, disc skimmers, heli skimmers, power packs, blowers, salvage barge and oil absorbent graphene pads and other accessories, is specifically designed to contain the oil slick, skim oil from water, and assist in clean up and salvage operations,” the MEA said.