Marine Disaster! Fire-Hit Chemical Cargo Ship Sinks Off Sri Lanka’s Coast, Poses Severe Environmental Threat

Water submerged the MV X-Press Pearl's rear end a day after firefighters from Sri Lanka and India climbed onto the vessel and extinguished a blaze that had been burning for 12 days.

Smoke billowing from the Singapore-registered container ship MV X-Press Pearl. (Image: AFP)

Colombo: Cited to be Sri Lanka’s worst-ever marine disaster, a cargo ship carrying tonnes of chemicals is sinking off the country’s west coast, said officials on Wednesday, fuelling severe environmental concerns as the container ship still has several hundred tonnes of oil in its fuel tanks.

The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, carrying 1,486 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid, along with other chemicals and cosmetics, was anchored off the island's west coast when a fire erupted on May 20, Reuters reported.

The authorities have been battling the blaze since then, as flaming containers laden with chemicals have fallen from the ship’s deck.

Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister Kanchana Wijesekera in a tweet earlier in the day said: “The Sinking Vessel #XPressPearl is been towed away to deep waters by the salvage company with the support of the #Navy and other stakeholders involved. Images from just a few minutes ago.”

The government has banned fishing along the coastline in the wake of the incident.

“The Dept of #Fisheries has suspended vessels entering from the #NegomboLagoon and #fishing from Panadura to Negombo with immediate effect as the salvage company involved in #XPressPearl has indicated that the vessel is sinking at the current position,” Wijesekera wrote on Twitter.

The minister also informed that “emergency preventing measures are taken to protect the lagoon and surrounding areas to contain the damage”.

“#Emergency preventing measures are taken to protect the lagoon and surrounding areas to contain the damage form any debris or in case of an #oilleak. Vessels fishing in around the area and high seas are also informed of possible debris and to be vigilant,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan environmentalists have described it as one of the worst ecological disasters in the country's history and have warned of a potential threat to marine life and the fishing industry.

According to reports, large quantities of plastic debris have already inundated beaches and authorities now fear an even greater disaster if the 278 tonnes of bunker oil and 50 tonnes of gas in the ship's fuel tanks leak into the Indian Ocean.