Abandoned foreign vessel sinks in Sri Lanka
August 23, 2012 03:25 pm
A Cyprus flagged vessel which remained in Sri Lankan waters
since 2009 following a court order which prevented it from leaving, sank on
Thursday raising concerns of environmental impact.
MV Thermopylae Sierra sank at sea close to the shores of Panadura, just outside
the capital, even as the court case over the vessel continued in Sri Lanka.
The 155-meter long and 127-meter wide ship manufactured in 1985 was detained in
Sri Lanka on a court order after a dispute involving the cargo and its crew.
Engineers were kept on board the vessel but they withdrew saying they had not
been given food or other basic facilities.
The condition of the ship began deteriorating as it remained at sea without
being maintained and subsequently it began taking in water.
Engineers onboard the ship had warned that some of the cargo which were still
on the ship as it sank could harm marine life in the area. The biggest concern
was as the ship sank very close to the shore.
However the Sri Lankan Marine Environment Protection Authority said that most
of the oil from the ship had been removed before the vessel sank so they did
not expect a major environmental impact.
“There was some 350 tons of oil on the ship but most of it was removed and now
there is less than 75 tons on board. A contingency plan is now underway to face
whatever environmental impact even that little oil may cause once it begins to
surface,” Jagath Gunasekera of the Marine Environment Protection Authority told
Xinhua.
He said that after the ship fully sinks the oil will begin to surface but it
can be cleaned immediately since it is a small amount.
However he said that based on the wind conditions the oil may drift to other
locations so measures need to be taken to address the issue. (Xinhua)
