Oil spill feared as X-Press Pearl starts sinking

The striken container vessel MV X-Press Pearl is currently sinking even as it is being towed out to deeper waters by the salvage company along with assistance from the Sri Lanka Navy and other stakeholders. 

There are fears of a large scale ecological disaster in case hundreds of tonnes of oil leaks from the vessel as it sinks. 

The fire on the vessel was sufficiently doused yesterday for salvage teams to board the vessel to assess the damage. Last evening, it was decided at a meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat to tow the vessel out to deeper waters in case it sinks.

However, the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) stated this morning that the ship was indeed sinking due to a water leak at the rear end of the ship. 

The ship with 1,486 containers including 25 tons of nitric acid and a large stock of microplastic granules used for production of plastic products was en route from the Indian port of Hazira to Singapore, via Colombo when it reported  the fire on May 20.

State Fisheries Minister Kanchana Wijesekara announced on Twitter that the Department of Fisheries has suspended vessels from entering the Negombo Lagoon, while fishing from Panadura to Negombo has also been suspended as the salvage company has notified to authorities that the vessel was sinking at its current position. 

"Emergency preventing measures are taken to protect the lagoon and surrounding areas to contain the damage form any debris or in case of an oilleak. Vessels fishing in around the area and high seas are also informed of possible debris and to be vigilant," Minister Wijesekara stated. 

Meanwhile, security forces deployed along beaches were continuing their efforts to clean up beaches which hve been polluted by microplastic granules and debris from the ship.

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) announced a short while ago that the operation to tow the X-Press Pearl out to sea has been temporarily aborted for safety reasons.

"Salvors today early morning have established a connection to tow the vessel into the deep sea. Although the salvors have tried and exhausted all means, the operation had to be temporality aborted for safety reasons," the SLPA said.