Five Years Later: New Wakashio Probe Targets Coast Guard’s Failures

Five years after the MV Wakashio oil spill, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has recommended a police inquiry into potential failings by officers of the National Coast Guard (NCG). The DPP’s office stated that after analyzing the evidence, there are sufficient grounds for a criminal investigation into certain NCG officers, particularly those responsible for monitoring the ship in the hours before it ran aground on July 25, 2020.

The recommendations will be sent to the Commissioner of Police, and it is expected that the Central Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will handle the case.

NCG members who were stationed at Pointe-du-Diable at the time of the incident, along with officers from the Port-Louis headquarters, are likely to be called for questioning under caution.

The Wakashio Disaster

The MV Wakashio, a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier, struck reefs at Pointe d’Esny, spilling more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the lagoon.

This new development is part of a series of ongoing legal and administrative efforts to determine who was responsible for the major maritime catastrophe.

In a parliamentary session in July 2025, Blue Economy Minister Arvin Boolell stated that a preliminary investigation by the Shipping Division concluded that human error was the primary cause of the wreck.

The ship’s captain and chief officer were reportedly distracted on the bridge at a critical moment, leading to a lack of vigilance.

Both were charged with endangering navigation and were sentenced to 20 months in prison in December 2021 before being repatriated to India after serving their sentences.

A Court of Investigation was also established to examine the accident’s circumstances, but its final report was never made public by the former government.

Only some recommendations were passed to the DPP on February 9, 2023, for potential legal action.

The new police investigation into the NCG stems from these recommendations, focusing on potential offences by maritime security and coastal surveillance services.

If the police inquiry proceeds, it would be a significant turning point in the post-crisis management of the Wakashio case, potentially raising questions about the chain of command and the responsiveness of maritime authorities during the incident.

Source: Le Mauricien