Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Greenpeace Japan has started an online petition for a series of demands from companies responsible for the oil spill in the ocean near the Mauritius islands, which was caused by a Japanese-owned ship.

The ship, which has reportedly leaked over 1,000 tonnes of fuel into the Indian Ocean, is chartered and owned by the Japanese companies Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and Nagashiki Shipping Co., Ltd.

The petition follows an open letter to the companies, stating they “waited too long to take action, both when the ship strayed too close to shore before it ran aground and after when it finally ran aground,” said Ayako Sekine, a senior climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Japan. “MOL is wasting its opportunity to behave as a responsible company.”

The petition’s demands toward the companies include paying for the current and future damages from the spill, funding an investigation into its causes and consequences, abandoning passage through Mauritian waters and stopping businesses reliant on fossil fuels.

Activists from the environmental organization held up a banner outside the headquarters of MOL on August 25 to further draw attention to the cause.

“The repeated oil spill accidents show that the oil spill cannot be prevented by merely complying with legal obligations and international practices,” said Sekine. “The companies must step up their social responsibilities and use their influence to reduce harm done to the planet and people at risk.”