The ‘Mauritius Trochetia’, the only cargo and passenger ship which ensures maritime services between Mauritius, Rodrigues and Agaléga, has been stuck in Sri Lanka, for several months now, in dry dock for repairs. The ship had left Mauritius, sailing for Sri Lanka on the 12th of April. And until now, it remains stuck there. Its crew is facing sanitary problems due to the ‘COVID-19’ pandemic. Most of them, 22 out of 28 men, were infected by the virus and are being treated.
At first, the ‘Mauritius Trochetia’ was to sail for Sri Lanka and put in dry docks for repairs. But it seems that the ship will not get back anytime soon. The coronavirus has spread among the ship’s crew and most of them have contacted the virus. And before the ship is allowed to sail again, all of them must have been cured. Once they arrive in Mauritian sea territory, the whole crew will be kept onboard in quarantine for 14 days, before they can leave the ship. As for now, we do not know when this will happen. To note that since the ‘Mauritius Trochetia’ is in Sri Lanka, the people living in Agalega are not supplied with basic commodities from Mauritius. They must manage as best as they can, and it seems that the barter system is prevailing out there. The ship insurance will meet the expenses for the treatment of the crew in a health center in Sri Lanka, as no more bed is available in the hospital. The crew is composed of Mauritian, Malagasy, and Russian sailors. These expenses cost more than Rs 2 million. The ‘Mauritius Trochetia’ is the only ship to carry passengers between the three islands. Managing without this ship is exceedingly difficult for the inhabitants of Agalega, who are also citizens of the republic of Mauritius. As for the Rodriguans who must travel to Mauritius for different reasons, they have no choice than to wait for the reopening of the airport at Plaine Corail and the resumption of commercial flights between Mauritius and Rodrigues.
