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MV Benita, a Liberian flagged bulk carrier en route from Paradip, India, to Durban, South Africa, is hard aground in Mauritius after a fight apparently broke out on board among the 23-member crew of Filipino and Taiwanese nationals. Some reports even went as far as to suggest a possible mutiny.

Local media report a fight erupted in the engine room Thursday night, resulting in the ship drifting into land at Le Bouchon on the southeast coast of Mauritius.

Details remain sketchy, but it is reported that a fracas was started by the chief engineer, who was arrested by the National Coast Guard after locking himself in the engine room of the vessel. One crew member, another engineer, was seriously injured in the incident and had to be flown to a local hospital for treatment.

By the evening of Friday 17th June, one tug was on scene to help free the ship, but images posted online seem to indicate that more than one tug will be required to refloat the 182-metre-long vessel.

A crisis meeting was held at the Ministry of Ocean Economy in Port Louis on the afternoon of 18th June to monitor the situation in Le Bouchon. Alain Donat, who chaired the meeting, reports the MV Benita is stable and the situation is being monitored closely, especially the oil that has leaked from the ship's hold.

The MV Benita is unladen but is said to still contain 125 tonnes of fuel oil and 39 tonnes of diesel.

The crisis unit advised that 16 crew members were airlifted and brought to shore following the incident whilst four others remained on the ship to facilitate towing operations.

"The ship is stable. Oil spread into the sea. According to the information we have, this oil comes from the engine room. Top priority remains the transfer of all the fuel out of the vessel to prevent another oil spill," said Donat.

When concerned local residents reported oil on the coast, a representative of the National Coast Guard was quick to assure them that the situation was under control, stipulating that there is no heavy oil escaping from the ship. According to a Sergeant of the National Coast Guard, the oil spills reported by locals were sea water which had mixed with some of the oil in the hold of the ship.

The MV Benita (previously names MV New Rainbow and MV Star Sea Rainbow) is a bulk carrier built in 1998 in Japan; her home port is Monrovia and she is sailing under the flag of Liberia. She has a 182-metre length overall and a beam of 31 metres. Her gross tonnage is 24,953 tonnes.

AIS data shows the ship was underway when it abruptly changed course and sailed (or drifted) straight into the island.