The Japanese bulker aground off Mauritius first hit the reef at Pointe d’Esny at 7pm on 25 July and, after exposure to heavy weather, by 6 August its hull and bunker tanks had begun to break up.
A critical 11-day window to attempt to refloat the 203,000-dwt Wakashio (built 2007) or remove 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil was lost as salvage equipment sailed to reach the site of the disaster.
