Île Aux Aigrettes

With 4.5 metre waves forecast in coming days, authorities are racing to protect ecologically sensitive sites from about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil spilled by the MV Wakashio.

A Japanese ship that ran aground on a reef off Mauritius two weeks ago has now stopped leaking oil into the Indian Ocean, but the island nation is preparing for "a worst-case scenario", with several cracks seen in the tanker's hull.

The government has declared an environmental emergency as satellite images showed a dark slick spreading in the turquoise waters near wetlands that have been described as "very sensitive".