Move to get Singapore to probe destruction of marine life due to ship fire raises eyebrows

Scientists and researchers warn of conflict of interests

By Ifham Nizam

Marine scientists and researchers yesterday expressed concern about Wildlife Minister C B Rathnayake’s move to send samples of dead marine animal species to Singapore for further experiments and investigation. They claim that this is an ill-advised move as the operator of MV X-Press Pearl is a Singaporean company.

“The team from United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is already working with our environment Sub Committee. So, we don’t understand why we are consulting Singapore. Also, we must not forget that a Singapore flagged ship has caused the disaster,” a marine scientist said.

He added that the Minister had not consulted any stakeholder before making the questionable decision. More than 175 turtles, over 20 dolphins and four whales have been washed ashore after the MV X-Press Pearl incident and the actual number of dead could be five times that, the marine scientist said.

Investigation so far indicate that turtles have perished due to burning and chemical poisoning. This is the largest marine disaster Sri Lanka had faced, the scientist said.

“Currently, we send samples of the dead animals to the Government Analyst, the University of Peradeniya Veterinary Faculty, the National Aquatic and Resources Agency (NARA) and the Zoological Gardens in Dehiwela.

The team from the UNEP is also assisting us. So, we have the capacity to do this testing on our own. What if the Singaporean company comes to a different conclusion? How will that affect our litigation? Has the Minister thought of this?”