Liberian-flagged ship MV Benita runs aground in Mauritius |22 June 2016

A Liberian-flagged 44,000 DWT bulk carrier is hard aground near Le Bouchon reef in Mauritius after a fight apparently broke out on board on Thursday evening among crew members.

Local media reported that the MV Benita was sailing from India to Durban, South Africa when the fight broke in the engine room, resulting in the ship drifting into land along the southeast coast of Mauritius.

Details of the fight are still not clear, but the mêlée was reportedly started by the chief engineer, who was arrested by the National Coast Guard of Mauritius after locking himself in the engine room of the vessel.

One crew member, another engineer, was injured in the incident and had to be flown to a local hospital for treatment.

The 23-member crew is made up of Filipino and Taiwanese nationals.

The ship is reportedly not laden with cargo, but is carrying about 150 tonnes of fuel and 30 tonnes of diesel.

A tug boat was dispatched on scene on Friday to help free the ship, but as of yesterday (Tuesday) this was still not successful and another tug boat had been sent in as reinforcement.

The Mauritian authorities are reportedly playing down the extent of the incident. A representative of the National Coast Guard has confirmed that the situation is currently under control, and that there is no heavy oil escaping from the ship but the fishing community in the region are expressing their concern of an oil spill as oil and dead fish has started to appear on the surrounding beach.

While the authorities have cordoned the area where the vessel lies, several local agencies have mobilised personnel on the scene to try and mitigate any possible damage to the environment and government has promised fishermen in the region some financial support as they have been forced to put their fishing activities on hold.