Mutiny attempt leads to mass brawl and grounding of bulker off Mauritius
Local media in Mauritius is reporting an attempted mutiny, followed by a huge fight among the all Filipino crew of the bulk carrier Benita led to its grounding in the Indian Ocean early this morning.
Senior staff from the ship – en route from Paradip to Durban – radioed into local authorities that it was in trouble late the previous night.
The fight that broke out saw the engines cut off and the ship drifted onto the rocky shoreline of the southeast coast of Mauritius.
An engineer was medevaced from the ship this morning in a serious condition.
Local authorities have boarded the vessel, but efforts by the police to survey the ship via helicopter have been hampered by a number of drones flying in the area. Police have asked that all drones be moved from the area.
A salvage team is in place and there are not yet any reports of an oil spill.
The 1998-built, 44,183 dwt ship is owned by Greece’s Bluefin Maritime.