A stricken container ship that caught fire 13 days ago off the Sri Lankan coast, unleashing one of the worst ecological disasters in the country's history, is now sinking, officials said.
A burnt-out container ship that has already caused Sri Lanka's worst maritime environmental disaster was sinking Wednesday with several hundred tonnes.
COLOMBO (AFP) - A burnt-out container ship that had already caused Sri Lanka s worst maritime environmental disaster was in imminent danger of sinking on Wednesday (June 2) with several hundred tonnes of oil still in its fuel tanks, the Sri Lankan navy said.
The MV X-Press Pearl, carrying hundreds of tonnes of chemicals and plastics, burned for 13 days within sight of the island s coast before rescue workers finally managed to extinguish the blaze on Tuesday.
The operator of the container ship, X-Press Feeders, confirmed in a press release that salvors had reported no visible flames aboard the vessel, though smoke was still emitting intermittently from cargo holds.
The MV ‘X-Press Pearl’ cargo ship has begun sinking off the Sri Lankan coast after being ablaze for nearly two weeks. The ship was towed away from the island to minimize the damage from the expected massive oil spill.