Sri Lanka to sue Singapore-registered owners of “MV X-Press Pearl” for marine pollution
- Published
by Admin
Sri Lankan authorities are planning to start a legal suit against X-Press Feeders, the owner of Singapore-registered cargo carrier MV X-Press Pearl, over marine pollution, according to AFP.
Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority (Mepa) said it met Attorney-General Sanjaya Rajaratnam on May 30 (Saturday) to plan legal action against the owners of the vessel, its crew, as well as insurers.
The 25-member crew, who have already been evacuated from the ship, will be questioned, police said.
The 2021-built 36,150 dwt vessel caught fire 11 days ago at Sri Lanka’s west coast while heading to Colombo from Gujarat, India; it was carrying 25 tonnes of nitric acid and a huge amount of plastic raw materials then.
To date, several tonnes of microplastic granules have inundated the South Asian nation’s famed beaches, forcing a fishing ban and sparking fears of ecological devastation.
Authorities said last week they believed the fire was caused by a nitric acid leak that the crew had been aware of since May 11.
The intense fire, still burning at the rear of the 186m vessel, has destroyed much of the cargo, some of which also fell into the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lanka’s navy chief, Vice-Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne said the blaze is now under control.
“It will take a few more days to completely extinguish the fire,” he said, adding that his assessment was that there was no danger of the vessel breaking up.
But he ruled out towing it away from Sri Lankan waters until the fire was completely put out and experts examined the vessel for any structural weaknesses.
International salvage firm SMIT is leading efforts to douse the fire and is being helped by Sri Lanka’s navy and the Indian coast guard.
X-Press Feeders said the vessel’s hull remained intact and there was no damage to its bunker fuel tanks.
Related: Singapore-flagged “X-Press Pearl” hull remains fully intact, no bunker spill detected
Photo credit: Sri Lanka Air Force – SLAF Media
Published: 2 June, 2021
