The Sri Lankan envoy to the United Nations said the sinking of the MV X-Press Pearl off the coast of Sri Lanka could lead to one of the worst ecological disasters in the world due to the possible release of its toxic cargo into the marine ecosystem.
A month after catching fire off the Sri Lankan coast, a Singapore-registered container ship carrying tons of chemicals finally sunk last Thursday (June 17), raising fears of “inestimable” damage to the ocean.
Based on the recovered data of the MV X-Press Pearl, the Sri Lankan navy said the blaze was presumably triggered by its chemical cargo.
The manifest listed more than 22 tons of nitric acid and other substances, and of 1,500 containers in the manifest, 81 were labeled as “dangerous” goods.
“An environmental emergency of this nature causes significant damage to the planet by the release of hazardous substances into the ecosystem,” said Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, the United Nations (UN) representative to Sri Lanka.
Singer-Hamdy added that the incident involving MV X-Press Pearl will also affect and threaten thousands of lives and livelihoods in nearby coastal areas since the ship was just 9.5 nautical miles northwest of Colombo when the scene took place.
The international organization revealed that they are already organizing a multilateral initiative aimed in assisting the South Asian country in assessing the damages incurred by the ship and possible recovery efforts.
Additionally, a team of oil spill and chemical experts led by the UN and sponsored by the European Union (EU) was already deployed to the country to assess the situation.
However, both the government and the ship’s operator said there is still no sign of oil spillage, which was speculated to have burned off during the fire.
All 25 crew members of the vessel comprise of Indian, Chinese, Filipino and Russian nationalities, were safely rescued long before the ship sank.
Worst ecological disaster
Considering the lack of available information, the incident was considered by the top official of Marine Environment Pollution Authority (MEPA) of the country as the worst marine ecological disaster of the country to date.
"With all the dangerous goods, the nitric acid and all these other things, and the oil in the ship, if it's sinking it will basically destroy the whole bottom of the sea," Dr. Ajantha Perera told the BBC in a separate assessment earlier this month.
According to local news reports, around 50 turtles and eight dolphins were found dead since the incident happened on May 20.
Pending the results of autopsies into the dead animals, authorities have enforced a fishing ban around the area near where the ship sank
Moreover, loads of microplastic pieces, burned debris, and other pollutants have polluted nearby shores, including the popular Negombo beach.
In response to the situation, the Sri Lankan government has submitted an interim claim of $40 million to the vessel’s owners for the overall cost incurred in the operation while the country’s police also launched its official probe on the matter.
(JT)
Tags: #oceanpollution, #marinedisasters, #SriLanka, #MVXPressPearl