A 1998-built bulk carrier MV Benita ran aground on the southeast coast of Mauritius after an incident broke out between the vessel’s crewmembers, local media reported.
A fight which broke out between two sailors on Thursday night was reportedly the cause of the vessel’s grounding on the coast of Le Bouchon in the morning hours on Friday.
One of the sailors was seriously injured, while the other hid in the engine room, where he reportedly cut all the vessel systems leaving MV Benita adrift.
After the relevant authorities were informed of the situation, the injured sailor was winched off the vessel and transported to a hospital.
At the time of the incident, the Liberian-flagged vessel, crewed by 23 seafarers, was on its way from the Indian port of Paradip to the port of Durban, South Africa.
The vessel’s AIS data from Marine Traffic shows that it was still aground on Sunday evening.
Carrying some 150 tons of oil, the 44,183 dwt bulker was not loaded with any cargo.
World Maritime News Staff