L'île du Sud

It is one of the three islands (the others being Île Raphael and L'Île Coco) used as a base of operations for fishing activities by Raphael Fishing Company, the only resident fishing company in the Cargados Carajos shoals under a 1901 contract with the government of Mauritius.

On 1 February 2015, the fishing vessel, Kha Yang, with 250,000 L (55,000 imp gal; 66,000 US gal) of fuel in its tanks, ran aground on the reef off L'île du Sud.

Twenty crew were rescued shortly after its grounding, and a salvage operation pumped the fuel from its tanks a few weeks later.

[3][4][5]On 5 December 2022, the Taiwanese fishing vessel, 41 FV YU FENG 67, ran aground off L'île du Sud.

The vessel is now an effective shipwreck, and more than 20 tons of diesel were spilled into the fragile lagoon, affecting coral life and associated flora and fauna.