The MV Treasure oil spill occurred on 23 June 2000, when the ship sank six miles off the coast of South Africa while transporting iron ore from China to Brazil.

The ship was carrying an estimated 1,300 tons of fuel oil, some of which spilled into the ocean, threatening the African penguin populations living on nearby islands.

Authorities wanted to tow the ship into the South African harbor for repair, but she was too large for the maneuver and was ordered farther off-shore in an attempt to reduce environmental damage from oil pollution.

[7] The Robben Island nature reserve, home to about 14,000 endangered adult African penguins and 6,000 chicks, was hit badly during their breeding season by the oil spill.

[12] South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) spokesman Pim Zandee reported that divers confirmed the ship had suffered structural damage when sinking and that oil globules were rising from cracks in the hull.

[7] South African company Bio-Matrix was contracted to help clean up the oil slick that was polluting the penguins' habitats.

The company used a Canadian product, also called Bio-Matrix, made of sphagnum moss properties, which are notable for their natural ability to soak up oil.

[11] The rehabilitation effort was greatly funded by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which worked together with the local rehabilitation center, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), and the International Bird Rescue Center (IBRRC), whose oiled wildlife team took action the same day the cargo ship sank.

The 12-week rehabilitation process, which cared for over 20,000 birds, required over 130 international team members supervising over 45,000 volunteers, 400 tons of fish to feed the penguins, 7,000 tons of beach sand used in bird pens, and 302 25-litre (5.5 imp gal; 6.6 US gal) containers of detergent to wash the oil off the penguins' feathers.