The mining disaster raises questions about how serious Mitsui takes safety, environmental concerns and industrial incidents, as a shareholder in major oil, gas, mining and industrial operations around the world. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (far R) and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe (3rd R) meet with African [+] leaders at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama on August 29, 2019. Seen here, Vale's $1.7 billion coal mine on the outskirt of Tete in the Moatize coal basin in Mozambique. There is, however, a big problem with the available data. In 1989, Japanese giant Mitsubishi purchased Liverpool-based Princes Group. Oxfams Senior Aid Policy adviser, Jeroen Kwakkenbos, has expressed concerns that aid is being used to as export credits than to support the communities being targeted. 6 Feb 2021 Bulk carrier ship MV Wakashio ran aground on a reef, at Riviere des Creoles, Mauritius, on July 25, 2020 [File: Reuters/French Army command/Handout] Its other divisions, Mitsui E&S continues to push forward with Heavy Fuel Oil power stations, which is supplied from investments made in various oil holdings around the world. The stakes could not have been higher with the rising influence of China across the Indian Ocean. A further analysis conducted by satellite analytics company, Windward, reveals that they have been using Mauritius as a base for regional fishing expeditions and around the entire coast of Africa. Kiyoshi Kimura (C), president of Kiyomura Corp., the Tokyo-based operator of sushi restaurant chain [+] Sushizanmai, displays a dismantled bluefin tuna the company bought for 193.2 million yen (1.8 million USD) at auction at his main restaurant in Tokyo on January 5, 2020. Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor, Denmark has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui [+] Engineering and Shipbuilding since 1990. The seven Japanese vessels using Mauritius as a base for regional fishing operations. However, the Wakashio oil spill is now revealing a darker side to Japans expansionist foreign policy and how quickly Japans corporate interests overtook its foreign policy objectives. Not only has the policy of militarizing Mauritian territory been highly contentious (it was a deliberate strategy of Mauritius since independence not to have a military force to maintain peaceful internal and external relations), but the way that this base has been secured has been particularly controversial in displacing the local island population. 11 Mar 2015: India Prime Minister opening a radar station on Seychelles. The Japanese fleet in Mauritius appears to be small around seven unique vessels at a time. In 2002, a major set of scandals rocked Mitsui & Co. It is as much a failure for Japans maritime security promises as it is for the Indian Navy-run Coastguard of Mauritius. These ship engines can also be used for power stations. This also included the militarization of Japan through military procurement via Zaibatsu business groups(similar business groupings to the Keiretsu in the run up to World War 2). They established a presence in Mauritius and rapidly became one of the biggest local tuna processing companies, establishing a large presence in the capital city, Port Louis. Tunku Abdul Aziz, President of Transparency International's Malaysian Chapter, the Kuala Lumpur Society for Transparency and Integrity, said at the time, It is clearly my duty to urge the government to apply the full weight of the law against the guilty. All four nations had pursued pro-fossil fuel policies. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is part of the Mitsui Keiretsu of linked business interests. The vessel, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, hit a coral reef, Pointe d'Esny, Mauritius on 25 July, 2020. Since then, volunteers have also been collecting straw from fields and filling. The African Development Bank Group headquarters in Le Plateau, the business district of the Abidjan, [+] capital of the Ivory Coast. A Japanese whaling fleet left port on April 26 under tight security in the first hunt since the UN's top court last month ordered Tokyo to stop killing whales in the Antarctic. Share. U.S. global leadership under President Trump had allowed the rise of authoritarian regimes around the world who have pushed greater military spending. These industrial vessels are far larger than the 3-5 meter long wooden boats that the subsidence coastal lagoon fishermen are used to. Why the Mauritius oil spill is so serious - BBC News The ship was not carrying cargo and reportedly had an estimated 3,894 tons of fuel oil, 207 tons of diesel, and 90 tons of lubricant oil on board. Volunteers collect leaked oil from the MV Wakashio from beach in Bois des Amourettes, Mauritius, on [+] August 13, 2020. MOL generates over $14 billion in revenue a year, and is in a close partnership with Japans other large multi-billion dollar shipping lines, K-Line and NYK-Line (a global shipping partnership called ONE). It was particularly concerning to see senior executives from Wakashios operator, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) say in a press conference on August 9 that bad weather was a factor to blame for the crash. What is IMO doing in response to the oil spill in Mauritius? The protesters called for the government to resign, The MV Wakashio struck a coral reef near a sanctuary for rare wildlife on 25 July, The prow of the ship was deliberately sunk, Moscow sewer tourists all confirmed dead in floods, Man flees China on jet ski bound for South Korea, Ariana and Demi split from manager Scooter Braun, Trump co-defendants begin to surrender in Georgia, New person of interest identified in AC/DC manager death, Three die from listeria bacteria in milkshakes, UK charges Nigerian ex-oil minister with bribery. Japan misread the values of Mauritius and the Mauritian people in how it approached the Wakashio oil spill. The recent oil spill off the island of Mauritius has brought the dangers of moving large quantities of oil by sea back under the spotlight. Mauritius oil spill: Wrecked MV Wakashio breaks up - BBC News A shotgun marriage: Japans political relationship with Mauritius, There was a 3-fold increase in visits between officials from Japan since the summer of 2016. Five appear to be sophisticated tuna fishing vessels. Responding to MV Wakashio oil spill - IMO The Wakashio ran aground on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius in July, triggering an oil spill [+] and ecological catastrophe that has become a largely Japanese affair. Theres a need for universal participation in the existing international legal framework, where all nations are party to agreements, so when incidents like this occur, vulnerable countries are protected, said Shamika N. Sirimanne, UNCTADs technology and logistics director. Japans ship oil controversy: Japan holds significant control over the IMO and has been pushing solutions that increase greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. The way Japan has conducted its business, international aid and science in response to the Wakashio oil spill has revealed a lack of understanding and respect for the needs and wishes of small island populations. Indian Ocean islands like the Seychelles are also confronting the challenge of climate change. Mitsui uses its shipping division, MOL, to transport much of these fossil fuel products around the world, with major contracts with companies such as Vale. In 2009, a $250 million Power Plant called DelimaraPower Station was awarded to the Mitsui E&S owned subsidiary, BWSC. The lack of transparency by Japanese aid authorities has also been highlighted. With the strong influence of many public and private entities linked to the Mitsui Keiretsu now involved in Mauritius and the Wakashio response, there are calls for an independent, international investigation into what transpired in Mauritius. India had been looking at building a helicopter base in the Maldives. The project was to build 150 power generation facilities in 73 Mongolian villages. The island's lagoons are biodiversity hotspots that have been under intense pressure for centuries; since the beginning of the sugar . Japan's Ambassador Kato hosting a reception in 2018 with Mauritius Prime Minister Jugnauth, Deputy [+] Prime Minister Ivan Collendavelloo, Mauritius' Minister of Finance and Acting President. The Wakashio oil spill reveals that this presents a danger not just in terms of climate change but the heightened risks presented by larger ships that were approved by the IMO. Had they been more transparent about the type of oil that the. 13 Sep 2018: there were large street protests in Mauritius capital city Port Louis against Japan for [+] deals to access Mauritian waters for tuna wishing, with weak monitoring by Japanese-provided maritime security technologies. Protests seen here from 29 November 2019. The Meiji Restoration in 1868 marked the moment that led to the rapid industrialization and modernization of Japan, as the country adopted Western ideas. As the MV Wakashio spill falls under the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, compensation for economic losses and environmental damage would be less than if the vessel had been an oil tanker. The second was the slow progress of the Japanese economy that had plagued the country for the past three decades since the 1980s. Shipbuilding, ship engines and Power Plants: Mitsui is a shareholder in one of Japans largest shipbuilding companies, $8 billion revenue a year Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding (Mitsui E&S), with almost 15,000 employees. The clean-up of a massive oil spill in August from a vessel off Mauritius will likely be mostly completed by January, the bulk carrier's owner, Japan's Nagashiki Shipping, said Thursday. So where was the accuracy of the radars provided by Japan to strengthen Mauritius maritime security? It also extends to Indias bases abroad. Mauritius oil spill puts spotlight on ship pollution | UNCTAD Jugnauth was forced to step down as Minister of Finance in 2011 over a corruption scandal linked to a family-owned hospital (Medpoint). 16 Dec 2012: Shinzo Abe on the campaign trail in 2012, in what would lead to a decade dominating [+] Japanese politics that would eventually cast a shadow over the Wakashio oil spill in Mauritius. This is in addition to a four-way defense agreement called Exercise Malabar (involving the Navies of Japan, India, U.S. and Australia), which also took place in the Indian Ocean in November, and involved over a hundred ships, aircraft carriers, submarines, aircraft, and thousands of sailors (the U.S. alone had 6000 troops on its aircraft carrier group supporting the exercise). Here are six drivers behind Japans strong interests in Mauritius, all of which have started to unravel with the Wakashio oil spill: This is why these drivers matter and what they mean for Japans role in the world. He had specifically intervened to prevent six academics being nominated to Japans independent science council, who had opposed the militarization of Japan. This program later proved controversial among the G20 for being discovered to tie Japanese Aid to support for Japanese companies who were the only ones allowed to bid for many of these services (Japan was singled out by Oxfam as the worst culprit of the Aid-Tying Scandal in 2018). As many villagers around the site of the oil spill complain about not receiving appropriate medical attention, there is anger that these funds were not used for local community support. Satellite analysesof the region at the timedo not reveal any adverse weather patternsin close vicinity of Mauritius, and certainly none thatimpacted the trajectoryof any other large ocean-bound vessel. Although this received significant coverage in the Malta media in 2009 and 2010, there had been no evidence shown of these bribes and there has been no other references to these offences by groups like Transparency International that ranks Japan 20th out of 180 nations in its Corruption Perceptions Index. The waters around Mauritius contain some of the Southern Oceans most important whale nursing grounds. The Chairman, Shigeji Ueshima (71) and President, Shinjiro Shimizu, (64) resigned on 30 September 2002, taking responsibility for successive Power Plant procurement scandals that had impacted the company. an ecological crime against their country. Japanese PM Abe next to AU Chairman, Chadian President Idriss Derby during the opening of the TICAD [+] (Tokyo International Conference on African Development) in August 27, 2016 Nairobi. Brief Introduction The MV Wakashio set sail for Brazil on 14 July. It is a major financier of power plants around the world linked to Mitsui subsidiaries, such as Delimara Power Station in Malta. As tuna fishing is a seasonal activity, there are spikes expected at different times of the year. Until his resignation just three weeks after the August 6 Wakashio oil spill on August 28. Large, corporate interests seeking to avoid an expensive insurance payout have placed corporate greed ahead of the the support the island nation had been calling for when they marched in the streets. As a small island state, it has also been at the mercy of the climate crisis, with warmer and more acidic oceans impacting the growth of coral reefs in its tropical waters. The restoration of Japanese Emperor Mutsuhito Meiji between 1867-1912, marked the end of the [+] Shogunate, and the rapid industrialization of Japan. This placed them at odds with small island states, the EU, U.K. and China, all of whom had been outwardly pursuing more climate friendly policies to meet Paris Climate objectives. The captain of the ship has been arrested and charged with endangering safe navigation. About 1,000 tonnes of oil spilled into a sanctuary for rare wildlife after the . To place this in context, on 29 August 2019 the Prime Ministers of Japan and Mauritius specifically discussed the risk of maritime accidents and Japans assistance to Mauritius to avoid such an incident from occurring. The cause is still unknown. What the protestors in Mauritius have called for are a compassionate response: not just words, but commensurate actions. Both India and Japan have been facing rising tensions with China. The cause is still unknown. 8 Sep 1945: the bombed ruins of the Mitsubishi airplane factory in Nagoya. Location of Agalega, that has 800 inhabitants of Mauritius living on it. Japanese companies preferred to keep piles of cash rather than invest in innovation, as the world demanded greater investment in clean technology to move toward a low carbon economy. In this case, we need to look at both the giver and the taker because, as the saying goes, it takes two to tango. With Japan providing maritime security infrastructure to all of these nations, and the strong Japan-India axis that is being built over the Indian Ocean, how robust will the surveillance be of Japanese fishing operations in the Indian Ocean? Mauritius races to clean up tons of oil as damaged ship is at risk of Published. Sustainable Development Goal 14 calls on us to protect life below water and this means minimizing pollution at every possible turn, including putting all necessary precautions in place to manage environmental disasters like oil spills when they do happen, said Ms. Sirimanne. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in late July 2020, a Japanese bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, struck a reef in the coastal area of south-eastern Mauritius, leaking about 1,000 tonnes of oil. The warnings were seen early on, but the Japanese led-effort did not listen to front line islanders with the knowledge to understand the risks. July 22 2012: Naoki Ishii, President of Mitsui's 'MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC,' during the Senate [+] Hearings on the Deepwater Horizon incident. BWSC has been banned from all international projects for 21 months. In return, the employees are believed to have received information relating to the construction work, such as exchanges of notes between the Japanese and Mongolian governments, the sources said.. In 2016, Mitsui made co-investments with Shell in more deepwater oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico (Kiaskias project) and $400 million in Australias Kipper Gas field. Mauritius oil spill: Ship captain was partying as vessel sank and Prime Minister Ivan Collendavelloo, Mauritius' Minister of Finance and Acting President. According the BWSCs website, there was close collaboration with Mitsui E&S for heavy fuel oil power plant projects in Macau (1985, 1989, 1993), Mauritius (1995, 2014), Malaysia (1998), Guam (1997), Crete (2002), Cyprus (2007), and two biogas plants in Japan. The ship began to leak fuel oil in the following weeks, and broke apart in mid August. Maldives had been facing similar pressure from India to allow a helicopter base. Mauritius' pristine marine environment is being threatened by the oil spill. Climate change is increasing [+] the number of storms, which directly impact low lying islands around the world. A man pulls a cart transporting cardboard, to sell to a recycling plant, in Tokyo on August 30, [+] 2011. BWSC is known as an EPC contractor (Engineering, Procurement and Construction). After initially denying that Mitsui had any responsibility for the Deepwater Horizon spill, it settled with BP for $1.1 billion (after BP had initially demanded $2.14 billion it claimed Mitsui owed). A controversial deal in August 2018 (which was subject to protests in Mauritius), opened up Mauritian waters to Japan. The Japan P&I Club then sits on the Board of ITOPF, the oil industry body that is supposed to offer independent advice to countries experiencing an oil spill, but somehow managed to forget to collect the evidence needed in Mauritius to measure the impact of the oil spill. The countries mentioned in the 2003 Borsen investigative reports were: Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines, located in the South of the country. In many ways, he was seen as the Donald Trump of Japan given their shared policy outlook on many issues (e.g., fossil fuels, climate change, militarization, trade, immigration and China). 25 Jun 2018: Indian PM Modi and Seychelles President Danny Faure. Instead of fighting inequality and eradicating poverty, governments will use aid to subsidize their own firms, he warned earlier this year.
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