Court orders Navy to provide security to sinking ‘X-Press Pearl’

The Court has directed the Sri Lanka Navy to provide the necessary security to the fire-ravaged ‘X-Press Pearl’ cargo ship which has sunk in the shallow seas off Colombo harbor.

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court issued this directive on the Commander of the Navy today (June 07).

When the case was taken up today (June 07) Colombo Additional Magistrate Shalani Perera rejected the request of the Deputy Solicitor General Madawa to issue notices to 07 individuals including the Chairman of Sea Consortium Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, stating that the magistrate had no legal authority to hear the case.

Subsequently, the case was postponed to June 15.

Meanwhile, rough seas and poor underwater visibility are hampering navy divers who are trying to detect any fuel leakage from the damaged ship that is slowly sinking off, officials said Monday.

Navy spokesman Indika de Silva said divers also searched for any leakage from the ship on Sunday, but could not complete the mission due to poor ocean conditions.

“But we have not given up the operation and a team has been sent there today too,” he said.

Officials said there are no signs of oil or chemical spills, but environmentalists have warned of a possible environmental disaster if hazardous materials are released into the water.

The situation of the stricken vessel is being closely monitored by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

“We are closely monitoring the situation as it evolves, including reports of chemical pollution, debris coming ashore in the form of plastic pellets, and the potential for oil pollution,” IMO secretary-general Kitack Lim said in a statement.

Lim added: “I express my deep concern to all impacted by the incident.”

The Singapore-flagged MV X-Press Pearl began sinking last Wednesday, a day after authorities extinguished a fire that had raged on the vessel for 12 days. Efforts to tow the ship into deeper waters away from Colombo’s port failed after the ship’s stern sank and rested on the seabed.

Its stern is still resting on the bottom at a depth of about 21 meters (70 feet) and the forward section is continuing to settle down slowly, officials said.

The fire has destroyed most of the ship’s cargo, which included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals. But there are fears that remaining chemicals and hundreds of tons of fuel oil could leak into the sea, devastating marine life and further polluting the island nation’s famed beaches.

The disaster has already caused debris to wash ashore, and the government has banned fishing along about 80 kilometers (50 miles) of coastline.

A ship manifest seen by The Associated Press described the X-Press Pearl as carrying just under 1,500 containers, with 81 described as containing “dangerous” goods.

The fire erupted on May 20 when the ship was anchored about 9.5 nautical miles (18 kilometers) northwest of Colombo and waiting to enter the port. The navy believes the blaze was caused by its chemical cargo.

A Colombo court has banned the captain, chief engineer and assistant engineer from leaving the country. The government has said it will take legal action against the owners of the ship to obtain compensation.

-With input from agencies