Skippers protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Mauritius

About twenty skippers from the south of the island have demonstrated in front of Japanese Embassy in Ebène on Wednesday 19 January 2022 over claims that they have not received any financial compensation after the grounding of the MV Wakashio.

Equipped with placards reading “Where is our money?” or “We, skippers, need to eat”, the protesters stayed in front of the Japanese Embassy for hours under police surveillance, Le Mauricien newspaper reported.

The skippers claimed their professional activity was brutally disrupted after the grounding of the MV Wakashio in July 2020. The oil spill that ensued was described as the worst ecological disaster in the history of the island.

Some 18 months after the events, these skippers had still not received any financial compensation, despite several announcements.