10 August 2020
The past few days have been trying for our island but, thankfully, people, companies and NGOs from across the island came together to fight the catastrophic oil spill from the MV Wakashio.Alteo participated in this national effort, supplying 183 bales (91.5 tonnes) of cane trash for the fabrication of floating barrages, as well as 2000 gloves, 234 pairs of boots and 500 safety goggles. More than 150 of our colleagues also went to Falaise Rouge and Anahita during the weekend, where they helped make about 15 km of floating barrages to stop the progression of the spill and our team from the Factory Workshop created Oil Traps from used barrels.Today, we took stock of what has been done so far and created an internal team to better coordinate our efforts in the coming days. We have temporarily stopped the creation of floating barrages and are focusing our efforts on preparation. We are building a stock of cane trash bales and plastic containers while some of our team members are crafting more “oil traps” as well as heavy-duty needles from repurposed welding equipment. Others from our teams keep a close eye on the shoreline by boat. We are in close contact with NGOs as well as the National Disaster Committee and will remain vigilant. We stand ready. Together, we are stronger.
