A burnt-out container ship that has already brought on Sri Lanka’s worst maritime environmental catastrophe was sinking on Wednesday with practically 350 tonnes of oil in its gasoline tanks.
The MV X-Press Pearl, carrying a whole bunch of containers of chemical compounds and plastics, burned for 13 days simply exterior Colombo’s harbour earlier than rescue staff lastly extinguished the blaze on Tuesday.
Dutch salvage agency SMIT tried to tug the still-smoking wreckage of the 31,600-tonne vessel into deeper water on Wednesday however the effort stalled. Navy spokesman Indika de Silva informed AFP that the strict had sunk to the underside at a depth of twenty-two meters (72 toes), close to Pamunugama, simply north of Colombo. “The bow remains to be afloat, however the stern is submerged and resting on the ocean mattress,” de Silva said.
The 186-metre ship was still tethered to a powerful tug as experts mulled whether to attempt to refloat it, an official source involved with the operation told AFP.
A huge amount of plastic debris has already inundated beaches, and authorities now fear an even greater disaster should the ship’s 297 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 51 tonnes of marine fuel oil leak into the Indian Ocean.
An AFP photographer who reached the area by boat said he saw a narrow slick of oil coming from the stern of the Singapore-registered vessel. Some oil was already visible near the beaches of Negombo, about 40 kilometres from Colombo, although it was not clear if it was from the stricken ship.
International shipping expert and lawyer Dan Gunasekera said that divers could be used to pump out the bunker oil safely. “We can assume that since the ship is only three months old, it had good systems to ensure there is no leak from fuel tanks in an eventuality like this,” Gunasekera stated.
Navy spokesman de Silva stated an Indian coastguard vessel was in the realm with specialised gear to deal with any oil leak. Officials consider the blaze destroyed many of the 1,486 containers on board.
Eighty-one containers have been carrying chemical compounds, together with 25 tonnes of nitric acid which had been leaking since May 11, 9 days earlier than the hearth broke out. The inundation of microplastic granules from the cargo has already pressured a fishing ban and prompted concern for wildlife and the marine atmosphere.
Marine Environment Protection Authority chief Dharshani Lahandapura stated the ecological injury was nonetheless being assessed however believed it was the “worst ever in my lifetime”.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa asked Australia on Monday to help evaluate the ecological damage to the island, one of the most bio-diverse countries in South Asia.
Catholic Fishermen Hit
The head of Sri Lanka’s Roman Catholic church, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, called for legal action against authorities for allowing the ship into local waters.
He said the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen, most from the country’s Catholic minority, were now under threat. Sri Lanka has already launched a criminal investigation.
Authorities suspect the crew knew about the acid leak from May 11. Police said three officers from the ship, two Russians and an Indian, had been questioned and their passports impounded.
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