Sri Lankan authorities have begun the investigation into the hearth on board a Singapore-flagged cargo ship close to the Colombo seashore on May 20 in the nation’s worst-ever marine ecological catastrophe, and mentioned statements can be recorded of one Indian and two Russian officers on responsibility in the vessel. The cargo vessel – MV ‘X-PRESS PEARL’- was carrying a consignment of chemical substances and uncooked supplies for cosmetics from Hazira in Gujarat to Colombo Port on May 20 when it caught fireplace some 9.5 nautical miles away from the port of Colombo.
The fire-fighting effort on May 21 was assisted by the Indian Coast Guard vessels and an plane, in addition to the Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force. Apart from the 325 metric tonnes of gasoline in its tanks, the vessel was loaded with 1,486 containers carrying about 25 tonnes of hazardous nitric acid.
The Criminal Investigation Department of the Sri Lankan police mentioned whereas the Indian official is the deputy chief engineer of the ship, the 2 Russians are the captain and chief engineer respectively. The police’s legal investigation division has begun an investigation into the hearth on board X-PRESS PEARL, a container provider engulfed in flames since May 20, police spokesperson Ajith Rohana informed reporters.
“The CID visited the hotel to record statements from the captain, chief engineer and deputy chief engineer on the incident,” he added. Rohana mentioned the deputy chief engineer was an Indian whereas the opposite two had been Russians.
The dossiers on questioning would then be forwarded to the Attorney General for applicable motion, Rohana mentioned. Rohana mentioned that the remaining of the 25 crew would even be questioned.
The authorities imposed a fishing ban on the affected areas till shore line cleansing may very well be full. “We will fully compensate the fishermen who have lost their livelihoods due to the fishing ban,” Kanchana Wijesekera, the state minister of fisheries, mentioned.
Darshani Lahandapura, the chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), mentioned air water and soil samples are being collected to perform the laboratory exams. This would lead to a compensation declare being submitted to the ship’s homeowners for which a time interval of three months can be out there.
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