MV Wakashio grounding incident in Mauritius 2020: The world's first major spillage of Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil

Alan G Scarlett; Robert K Nelson; Marthe Monique Gagnon; Alex I Holman; Christopher M Reddy; Paul A Sutton; Kliti Grice

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112917

MV Wakashio grounding incident in Mauritius 2020: The world's first major spillage of Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Oct:171:112917. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112917. Epub 2021 Sep 3.

Authors

Alan G Scarlett¹, Robert K Nelson², Marthe Monique Gagnon³, Alex I Holman⁴, Christopher M Reddy², Paul A Sutton⁵, Kliti Grice⁶

Affiliations

¹ Western Australian Isotope and Geochemistry Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia. Electronic address: alan.scarlett@curtin.edu.au.
² Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, MA 02543, USA.
³ School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia.
⁴ Western Australian Isotope and Geochemistry Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia.
⁵ Biogeochemistry Research Centre, School of Geography Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, England, UK.
⁶ Western Australian Isotope and Geochemistry Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia. Electronic address: k.grice@curtin.edu.au.

PMID: 34488148
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112917

Abstract

Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oils (VSLFO, <0.5% S) are a new class of marine fuel oils, introduced to meet recent International Maritime Organization regulations. The MV Wakashio was reported to have released 1000 t of VLSFO when it grounded on a reef in Mauritius on 25th July 2020. A field sample of oily residue contaminating the Mauritian coast was collected on 16th August 2020 and compared with the Wakashio fuel oil. Both oils were analyzed for organic and elemental content, and stable isotope ratios δ¹³C and δ²H measured. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry was used to identify and compare biomarkers resistant to weathering. The aromatic content in the VLSFO was relatively low suggesting that the potential for ecosystem harm arising from exposure to toxic components may be less than with traditional fuel oil spills. The Wakashio oil spill is, to our knowledge, the first documented spill involving VLSFO.

Keywords: Fuel oil; GC × GC; High-resolution mass spectrometry; Mauritius oil spill; Stable isotopes; VLSFO.

MeSH terms

Ecosystem
Fuel Oils*
Mauritius
Petroleum Pollution*
Sulfur

Substances

Fuel Oils
Sulfur