Sri Lanka fears acid rain due to blazing X-Press Pearl ship 2 minutes read
Colombo, May 28 (EFE).- Sri Lankan authorities were on Friday battling a possibility of toxic precipitation of acid rain due to the burning of the X-Press Pearl ship that has been on fire since last week and has sparked fears of extensive marine pollution.
The ship, carrying nitric acid and cosmetic chemicals, caught fire off Sri Lankan waters last Thursday.
The Singapore-registered container was heading from India to the Colombo harbor when it caught fire.
Officials said scientists were now conducting water analysis to see if nitrogen oxide secreted from the burning ship had changed the acidic or alkaline concentration of rainwater.
Sri Lankan authorities fear a possible oil spill from a Singaporean container ship on fire off the country s western coast as the upper deck of the vessel was completely destroyed, officials said on Thursday.The fire, which broke out on May 20 .
27 mayo, 2021 EDA
Colombo (dpa) – Sri Lankan authorities fear a possible oil spill from a Singaporean container ship on fire off the country’s western coast as the upper deck of the vessel was completely destroyed, officials said on Thursday.
The fire, which broke out on May 20 on the MV X-Press Pearl, was beyond control and spreading inside the vessel anchored 10 nautical miles off the main Colombo port.
Firefighters are trying to control the fire around the engine room and prevent an oil spill, as the vessel has nearly 300 tons of fuel in its tank, navy spokesman Indika Silva said.
But Sri Lankan authorities, including the Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA), were preparing to mitigate damage in the event of an oil spill.
Cargo vessel in process of sinking, efforts on to cleanup coast: Sri Lankan officials
All 25 crew members of MV X-PRESS PEARL of Indian, Chinese, Filipino and Russian nationality were rescued after a fire alarm dispatch was sent.
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smoke rises from the container vessel MV X-Press Pearl engulfed in flames off Colombo port, Sri Lanka. (Photo | AP) By Associated Press
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka s apex environment body on Thursday said a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, which caught fire near the Colombo beach last week, is in the process of sinking, and that preparations are underway to tackle the resulting oil spill.