A chemical-laden cargo ship sinks off the coast of Sri Lanka, raising fears of environmental catastrophe. The Express Pearl, registered from Singapore, had been on fire for about two weeks before it caught fire this week. Fuel tanks can release hundreds of tons of oil into the ocean, destroying nearby marine life. In recent days, Sri Lankan and Indian ships have been working together to set fires and prevent the ship from sinking and sinking. Just outside the port of Colombo, but stormy seas and monsoon winds hampered the operation. Capt. Indica Silva, a spokesman for the Sri Lankan Navy, told the BBC: " Hardness seemed to rest on the beach.
Environmentalist Dr. Ajantha Perera told the BBC that the
sinking was "the worst scene in the environment". "With all the
dangerous stuff, nitric acid and all these things and the oil in the ship, if
it sinks, it will basically destroy the whole bottom of the ocean," he
said. Dr. Pereira said divers should have been sent to inspect the ship before
it went to sea. "Environmental issues will now remain in our waters,"
he added. The coastal strip near the town of Negombo - home to some of the
country's oldest beaches - has seen oil and debris pollution for days.
Meanwhile, the Fisheries Ministry said that emergency
measures are being taken to protect the Ngambo Lagoon and surrounding areas and
all fishing from Pandora to Ngambo has been suspended. Joshua Anthony, head of
the regional fishing union warned that drowning could be a "death
blow" for the industry.
"We can't go to sea, which means we can't make a
living," he said. Burning the ship's coat 'tourist paradise' in oil
Sri Lankan officials believe the fire was caused by a
nitric acid leak that staff had been aware of since May 11. The ship contained
25 tonnes of highly corrosive acid, which could be used to make fertilizers and
explosives. Express Shipping the Singapore-based company that owns the ship -
confirmed that the crew was aware of the leak, but said they were told by both
Qatar and India before the ship got there. The fire was stopped. The fact that
Sri Lanka allowed the ship to enter its waters after it was rejected by two
other countries has caused widespread public outrage. Officials have lodged a
police complaint against the ship's captain, who was rescued last week along
with other crew members.
Sri Lankan police said on Tuesday that they had
questioned the ship's captain and engineer for more than 14 hours. A court has
issued an order barring the captain, chief engineer, and additional engineer
from leaving the country. Anchored at the port of Colombo, the flagship
container vessel in Singapore first reported a fire in the board due to a
chemical leak in one of its containers. The 186-meter-long (610-foot) ship left
the Indian port of Hazara on May 15 with 1,486 containers. In addition to
nitric acid, the cargo included many other chemicals and cosmetics.
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