Sri Lanka launches probe after burning ship pollutes beaches
3 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lanka launches probe after burning ship pollutes beaches

Al Jazeera  

Colombo says it has started a criminal investigation after the ship swamped the country’s coast with microplastics. Sri Lanka launched a criminal probe on Sunday into a huge container ship fire that has swamped the island nation’s coast with plastic pollution causing probably one of its worst marine disasters in history. Tonnes of microplastic granules have inundated the South Asian country’s famed beaches in Negombo, a popular tourist destination, forcing a fishing ban and prompting fears of ecological damage. The 25-member crew, who have already been evacuated from the ship, will be questioned on Monday after a complaint was lodged by Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority, police said. Sri Lanka’s Marine Protection Authority said the plastic waste from the burning ship had probably caused “the worst beach pollution in our history”, and warned it could cause years of ecological damage.

Sri Lanka Ship  probe  burning  lanka  sri  fears  ship  xpress  worst  told  crew  pollutes  coast  tourist  swamped  launches  beaches  marine

History of this topic

Could Sri Lanka's Ship Fire Have Been Avoided? Here's What We Can Learn from the Shocking Environmental Disaster
3 years, 5 months ago

Could Sri Lanka's Ship Fire Have Been Avoided? Here's What We Can Learn from the Shocking Environmental Disaster

News 18  

Hundreds of dead turtles continue to wash ashore in Sri Lanka, almost two months after a newly built container ship caught fire while anchored off Colombo's port. When cargo ships catch fire It is believed the leakage of properly declared, but inappropriately or incorrectly packed or stowed nitric acid caused the X-Press Pearl fire. A tale of two ports The …

X-Press Pearl fire: Turtle carcasses wash ashore in Sri Lanka
3 years, 6 months ago

X-Press Pearl fire: Turtle carcasses wash ashore in Sri Lanka

Live Mint  

Nearly a hundred carcasses of turtles with throat and shell damage, as well as dozens of dead dolphins and a blue whale, have washed ashore in Sri Lanka since a container ship burned and sank, raising fears of a severe marine disaster. Ecologists believe the deaths were directly caused by the fire and release of hazardous chemicals while the Singapore-flagged …

Turtle carcasses wash ashore in Sri Lanka after ship fire
3 years, 6 months ago

Turtle carcasses wash ashore in Sri Lanka after ship fire

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Nearly a hundred carcasses of turtles with throat and shell damage, as well as a dozen dead dolphins and a blue whale, have washed ashore in Sri Lanka since a container ship burned and sank, raising fears of a severe marine disaster. He refrained from giving an exact cause, saying “post-mortem analysis are still being conducted.” …

UN: Sri Lanka ship fire caused ‘significant damage to planet’
3 years, 6 months ago

UN: Sri Lanka ship fire caused ‘significant damage to planet’

Al Jazeera  

A UN representative in Sri Lanka says the sinking ship caused ‘significant damage’ by releasing hazardous substances into the ecosystem. The United Nations representative in Sri Lanka has said the sinking of a container ship that caught fire while transporting chemicals off the coast of the capital has caused “significant damage to the planet” by releasing hazardous substances into the …

Fire-ravaged ship sinks, prompting Sri Lankan pollution fear
3 years, 6 months ago

Fire-ravaged ship sinks, prompting Sri Lankan pollution fear

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A container ship carrying chemicals sank off Sri Lanka’s capital on Thursday nearly a month after catching fire, raising concerns about a possible environmental disaster. The ship’s operator said the wreck of the Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl “is now wholly sitting on the seabed at a depth of 21 meters.” A salvage crew was at the site …

Sri Lanka braces for environmental disaster as fire-damaged container ship sinks off Colombo port
3 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lanka braces for environmental disaster as fire-damaged container ship sinks off Colombo port

Firstpost  

The disaster has already caused debris — including several tons of plastic pellets used to make plastic bags — to wash ashore. Colombo: Authorities in Sri Lanka were trying to head off a potential environmental disaster on 3 May as a fire-damaged container ship that had been carrying chemicals was sinking off of the country’s main port. The ship operator …

Fishermen feeling the impact of Sri Lanka ship disaster
3 years, 6 months ago

Fishermen feeling the impact of Sri Lanka ship disaster

Associated Press  

KEPUMGODA, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s fishermen are already feeling the impact of an unfolding environmental disaster caused by the slow sinking of a fire-ravaged cargo ship that had been loaded with chemicals. “I’d like to express my deep regret and apology to the Sri Lankan people for the harm this incident has caused both to the livelihood and environment …

Burnt-out Ship Carrying Hundreds of Tonnes of Chemicals and Plastics 'Going Down' off Sri Lanka Coast
3 years, 6 months ago

Burnt-out Ship Carrying Hundreds of Tonnes of Chemicals and Plastics 'Going Down' off Sri Lanka Coast

News 18  

A burnt-out container ship that has already caused Sri Lanka’s worst maritime environmental disaster was sinking Wednesday with several hundred tonnes of oil still in its fuel tanks, the navy said. The MV X-Press Pearl, carrying hundreds of tonnes of chemicals and plastics, burned for 13 days within sight of the island’s coast before rescue workers finally managed to extinguish …

Disaster feared as fire-hit cargo ship sinks off Sri Lanka coast
3 years, 6 months ago

Disaster feared as fire-hit cargo ship sinks off Sri Lanka coast

Al Jazeera  

Ship carrying tonnes of chemicals is sinking, government and navy say, in one of the island nation’s worst-ever marine disasters. A cargo ship carrying tonnes of chemicals is sinking off Sri Lanka’s west coast, the country’s government and navy said, in one of Sri Lanka’s worst-ever marine disasters. Salvage experts were attempting to tow the fire-stricken container ship that had …

Sri Lanka Questions Burning Cargo Ship Crew as Ecological Devastation Assessed
3 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lanka Questions Burning Cargo Ship Crew as Ecological Devastation Assessed

News 18  

Sri Lanka’s criminal investigators began questioning the crew of a burning cargo ship Monday, as the Singapore-registered carrier smouldered for a 12th straight day in one of the island’s worst-ever marine ecological disasters. Tonnes of microplastic granules from the ship and its nearly 1,500 containers have inundated Sri Lanka’s famed beaches, forcing a fishing ban and sparking fears of ecological …

No end in sight: Sri Lanka faces its worst marine crisis as plastic from burning ship washes ashore
3 years, 6 months ago

No end in sight: Sri Lanka faces its worst marine crisis as plastic from burning ship washes ashore

Firstpost  

Sri Lanka’s MEPA said the microplastic pollution could cause years of ecological damage to the island. Sri Lanka faces an unprecedented pollution crisis as waves of plastic waste from a burning container ship hit the coast and threaten to devastate the local environment, a top environment official warned Saturday. Sri Lanka’s Marine Protection Authority said the microplastic pollution could cause …

Sri Lanka Battles Waves of Plastic Waste from Burning Ship
3 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lanka Battles Waves of Plastic Waste from Burning Ship

News 18  

Tonnes of plastic pellets from a burning container ship swamped Sri Lanka’s west coast Friday, sparking a ban on fishing as international efforts to salvage the vessel dragged into a ninth day. Microplastic threat Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority said a possible oil leak was the biggest threat, but the ship’s plastic cargo had already caused extensive damage. Drone …

Sri Lanka braces for major oil spill as cargo vessel expected to sink
3 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lanka braces for major oil spill as cargo vessel expected to sink

The Hindu  

A Singapore-flagged cargo vessel, which caught fire near the Colombo beach last week, may sink, raising severe environmental concerns in the island nation, according to media reports on Wednesday. The Marine Environment Protection Authority has warned that any oil spillage will move towards the sensitive Negombo lagoon, which is a major tourist attraction, the report said. A special team of …

Avoiding Mauritius Oil Spill-like Situation, India Rushes Fire Retardant to Battle Tanker Blaze Near Sri Lanka
4 years, 3 months ago

Avoiding Mauritius Oil Spill-like Situation, India Rushes Fire Retardant to Battle Tanker Blaze Near Sri Lanka

News 18  

India on Tuesday sent fresh supplies of firefighting chemicals to help battle a new blaze on a stricken tanker loaded with a massive cargo of crude oil off Sri Lanka’s eastern coast. Ramping up the rescue effort, an Indian Coast Guard aircraft was expected to bring dry chemical powder on Tuesday, which would then be dropped by helicopters on the …

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