Final decision on billions of plastic pellets washed ashore due to ship disaster awaited

By Ifham Nizam

The final decision on billions of plastic pellets washed ashore following the Singapore-flagged MV X-press Pearl disaster would be taken on the instructions of the Attorney General and the committee appointed in this regard, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday.

Amaraweera said via ZOOM that a large stock of plastic pellets had been collected and stored under the supervision of the Central Environmental Authority.

He said so while attending a progress review meeting yesterday on the ecological damage caused by the X-Press Pearl.

CEA officials said a stock of nearly 1400 tons of plastic pellets had been deposited in about 40 containers and kept in a yard in the Hendala area.

During the discussion, the Minister said that the stock of pellets could be used for plastic production and some manufacturing companies had offered to buy them.

However, he stressed that a final decision on the stock of plastics would be taken only on the recommendation of the Attorney General and the committee appointed by the President to look into the damage caused by the X-Press Pearl.

Amaraweera said the plastic stockpile was important as a court production in the ongoing legal proceedings over the damage caused by the X-Press Pearl. He said that he had instructed the CEA to ensure the safety of the stock, and that the officials were doing a very good job.

Justice Minister, Ali Sabri PC chaired the Progress Review Meeting. The programme also had the input of various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Fisheries, National Aquatic Resources Agency, the Marine Environment Protection Authority and the Central Environmental Authority.

According to Friends of Earth, Chairman, Hemantha Withanage,  some 39 containers of oil (lubricant oil, gear oil and brake oil), one container of batteries, one container of nitric acid and 349 containers of epoxy resin were on board the ill-fated vessel.

Nearly 9,800 metric tonnes of toxic epoxy was also on board. According the UN Environment Programme: “The ship’s cargo included 25 tonnes of nitric acid, 348 tonnes of lubricant oil and, according to independent estimates, up to 75 billion small plastic pellets known as nurdles that has created a pollution crisis – one that could plague Sri Lanka for years.”

MEPA has mobilised the Navy, Air Force and the coast guard and they have so far collected more than 53,000 bags of pellets, burnt plastic and other debris mixed with sand. This is around 40 per cent of the plastic nurdles transported on the ship.

According to the cargo list, 46,980 (25 kg) bags and unknown quantities of 20 containers of low density and high density polyethylene nurdles were on the ship. Plastic nurdles were found from the Vankalai Ramsar Wetland to the Rekawa turtle sanctuary, which is almost 700 km of the coastal belt.