Wakashio captain admits to coasting in order to get mobile phone signal
The master of the bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, which ran aground on a reef in Mauritius in August last year, has admitted navigating close inshore in order to get a mobile phone signal.
The captain of the bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, that ran aground in Mauritius last year has told a court that he piloted his ship closer inshore so that he and his crew could pick up a mobile phone signal, reports gCaptain. However, he said that it was ultimately his Chief Officer that ran the ship aground.
Captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar told a Court of Investigation that he decided to manoeuvre his vessel closer to land as a gesture to the ship’s crew who were working beyond the scope of their employment agreements.
He added that that if his Chief Officer, Subodha Janendra Tilakaratna, had followed instructions, the ship would not have grounded. In the captain’s view the ship had deviated from the course he ordered, bringing it within 1.5 nm of the coast of Mauritius.
The Wakashio was unladen when it ran aground on a reef off Mauritius’ Pointe-d’Esny on July 25th, 2020, en route from China to Tubarão, Brasil. After spending weeks on the reef, it eventually broke up, releasing 1,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and creating the island nation’s worst environmental disaster.
