- The smouldering wreck of the X-Press Pearl has settled onto the ocean floor after water flooded the engine room, according to the latest information from its owner’s spokesman.
- With white smoke still billowing from its foredeck, the 2,700 teu X-Press Pearl, not yet four months old, started to sink today in waters off Sri Lanka’s west coast.
According to the various sources, Sri Lankan authorities are planning to start a legal suit against X-Press Feeders, the owner of Singapore-registered cargo carrier MV X-Press Pearl, over marine pollution, according to AFP.
Legal Against Crew
Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority (Mepa) said it met Attorney-General Sanjaya Rajaratnam on May 30 (Saturday) to plan legal action against the owners of the vessel, its crew, as well as insurers.
The 25-member crew, who have already been evacuated from the ship, will be questioned, police said.
Ship Details
According to data from VesselsValue, the 2,700 teu ship was built at the Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard. Its market value is $43.79m, with a newbuild value of $35.34m and a demolition value of $5.12m.
Adverse Accident
The 2021-built 36,150 dwt vessel caught fire 11 days ago at Sri Lanka’s west coast while heading to Colombo from Gujarat, India; it was carrying 25 tonnes of nitric acid and a huge amount of plastic raw materials then.
To date, several tonnes of microplastic granules have inundated the South Asian nation’s famed beaches, forcing a fishing ban and sparking fears of ecological devastation.
Possible Accident Factors
Authorities said last week they believed the fire was caused by a nitric acid leak that the crew had been aware of since May 11.
The intense fire, still burning at the rear of the 186m vessel, has destroyed much of the cargo, some of which also fell into the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lankan Navy Chief’s Inference
Sri Lanka’s navy chief, Vice-Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne said the blaze is now under control.
“It will take a few more days to completely extinguish the fire,” he said, adding that his assessment was that there was no danger of the vessel breaking up.
Ship’s Condition
Salvors had managed to attach a tow to the ship, and at the orders of the country’s president, had commenced to tow the fire-ravaged boxships to deeper waters today.
However, with the engine room flooded, the stern of the ship started to sink and towing efforts were cancelled.
No Damage in Vessel
But he ruled out towing it away from Sri Lankan waters until the fire was completely put out and experts examined the vessel for any structural weaknesses.
International salvage firm SMIT is leading efforts to douse the fire and is being helped by Sri Lanka’s navy and the Indian coast guard.
X-Press Feeders said the vessel’s hull remained intact and there was no damage to its bunker fuel tanks.
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Source : Manifold Times
Source : Splash247
Source : The Load Star
