On 16 August, 2013 a collision between a cargo ship and a passenger ferry made news as many lives were lost. But in addition to the human toll, oil spilled from the two vessels resulted in damage to 328 hectares of mangroves, home to a variety of wildlife.
The two ship owners are now being asked by the regional Department of Environment and Natural Resources to pay for restoration of those mangroves, where commercially valuable fish and crustacean species had been harvested by local fishermen. Although no oiled wildlife response was mounted in this case, sea turtles, crocodiles, dugong and some shorebirds, which use the mangroves for nesting, foraging and other activities will also benefit from the restoration process.