A container ship fire off the coast of Sri Lanka. Photo: Sri Lankan Air Force Media/EPA
The World Daily | News Desk JUNE 1st 2021
After a chemical container ship caught fire off the coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka is facing the worst environmental disaster in its history, The Guardian reported. The surrounding beaches are covered with microplastics, the sea is throwing dead animals ashore, and there are splashes of oil in the water. The firefighting operation on the ship is still in progress.
A fire on the MV X-Press Pearl, anchored some 18 kilometers northwest of the Colombo coast, broke out on May 20. The Sri Lankan Navy and the Indian Coast Guard have been trying to extinguish the flames for more than 10 days. The 25-person crew was evacuated, but the firefighting action is hampered by monsoon winds and a highly flammable and poisonous cargo.
The Singapore-flagged container ship was carrying 25 tons of nitric acid, sodium hydroxide and other hazardous chemicals, as well as 28 containers with raw materials for the production of plastic bags. It also had over 300 tons of fuel in its tanks.
Smoke is still visible above the container ship off the coast of Sri Lanka. Photo:EPA
Although authorities said most of the fire had been extinguished, explosions can still be heard and the ship is puffed with smoke.
As The Guardian writes, there is concern that the chemical spill has already caused damage to the shores of Sri Lanka, including the popular tourist resorts of Negombo and Kalutara. There, the beaches are covered with microplastics, and you can also see splashes of oil in the surrounding ocean. However, News 1st reports that the rescuers reported that the hull structure of the ship remains intact and there has been no oil spill. They added that they were investigating the possibility of boarding the ship and tow it away.
