Burnt-out Container Ship Sinking Off Sri Lanka By Amal JAYASINGHE
06/02/21 AT 8:46 AM
A burnt-out container ship that has already caused Sri Lanka s worst maritime environmental disaster was sinking Wednesday with nearly 350 tonnes of oil in its fuel tanks.
The MV X-Press Pearl, carrying hundreds of containers of chemicals and plastics, burned for 13 days just outside Colombo s harbour before rescue workers finally extinguished the blaze on Tuesday.
Dutch salvage firm SMIT attempted to pull the still-smoking wreckage of the 31,600-tonne vessel into deeper water on Wednesday but the effort stalled.
Navy spokesman Indika de Silva told AFP that the stern had sunk to the bottom at a depth of 22 meters (72 feet), near Pamunugama, just north of Colombo.
The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl was anchored off the island's west coast when a fire erupted on 20 May. Authorities have been battling the blaze ever since.
Fears of oil spill emergency as cargo ship that burnt for 13 days off coast of Sri Lanka is now sinking localnews8.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from localnews8.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.