Authorities in Sri Lanka are trying to head off a potential environmental disaster as a fire-damaged container ship that had been carrying chemicals sinks off the country’s main port.
The MV X-Press Pearl started sinking on 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 the port in Colombo failed after the ship’s stern became submerged and rested on the seabed.
The MV X-Press Pearl is pulled by a navel vessel (Eranga Jayawardena/AP)
The Singapore-flagged ship’s operators, X-Press Feeders, said the fire 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 oil from the fuel tanks could leak into the sea.
Bharatha Mallawarachi June 02, 2021 - 11:26 PM
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) â Authorities in Sri Lanka were trying to head off a potential environmental disaster Thursday as a fire-damaged container ship that had been carrying chemicals was sinking off of the country s main port.
The Singapore-flagged MV X-Press Pearl started sinking Wednesday, a day after authorities extinguished fire that raged on the vessel for 12 days. Efforts to tow the ship into deeper waters away from the port in Colombo failed after the shipâs stern became submerged and rested on the seabed.
The ship s operators X-Press Feeders have said the fire destroyed most of the ship s cargo, which included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals. But there are fears that remaining chemicals as well as hundreds of tons of oil from the vesselâs fuel tanks could leak into the sea if it sinks.
Sri Lanka braces for environmental disaster as ship sinks
The Singapore-flagged ship started sinking Wednesday, a day after authorities extinguished a fire that raged on the vessel for 12 days. Author: BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press Published: 5:18 AM MDT June 3, 2021 Updated: 5:18 AM MDT June 3, 2021
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Authorities in Sri Lanka were trying to head off a potential environmental disaster Thursday as a fire-damaged container ship that had been carrying chemicals was sinking off of the country s main port.
The Singapore-flagged MV X-Press Pearl started sinking Wednesday, a day after authorities extinguished fire that raged on the vessel for 12 days. Efforts to tow the ship into deeper waters away from the port in Colombo failed after the ship’s stern became submerged and rested on the seabed.
Billions of Plastic Pellets Released Into Ocean as Ship Sinks off Sri Lanka Coast
On 6/3/21 at 9:03 AM EDT
Authorities in Sri Lanka are concerned that the MV X-Press Pearl container ship sinking offshore will cause significant environmental damage.
The ship s cargo, containing 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals, was destroyed in a massive fire that lasted for 12 days. Authorities were unable to tow the ship away from the port in Colombo after the ship, operated by X-Press Feeders, began to submerge.
Charitha Pattiaratchi, a professor of oceanography at the University of Western Australia, said the ship has already released three billion tiny plastic pellets into the sea that have washed up on nearby shores.