X-Press disaster: Vital info about toxic leak withheld from Colombo says Minister Amaraweera

By Ifham Nizam

MV X-press Pearl vessel had toxic chemicals in it, however, neither the Colombo Port nor its harbour master had been notified of an acid leak before the arrival of the ship in Colombo, Environment Minister Mahinda  Amaraweera  said yesterday adding therefore, the ship’s captain as well as its local agent should be held responsible for withholding vital information.

Minister Amaraweera said that the ship’s black box would reveal who was responsible for the ecological and economic disaster. “All of them should be prosecuted,” he said.

Environmental damage caused by the burning of the ship would continue for another 20 years and that the environmental damage caused by it could not be quantified, Minister Amaraweera said.

“Marine Environment Protection Authority Chairman informed me that a team from her institution had already been sent to the wreck of the ship to conduct investigations and obtain oil samples.

Burnt debris from the wreck has affected more than 150 km of Sri Lanka’s  coastline, according to International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) experts who are onsite.

MEPA is working with the Sri Lanka Navy to coordinate the pollution clean-up. ITOPF said more than 1,000 people were involved “most days” in the operation. Specialist pollution response company Oil Spill Response has also arrived in Sri Lanka and will work with ITOPF in providing technical assistance.

MEPA has set up a sampling programme to determine the extent of pollution from the vessel. The ship is reported to have been carrying 46 different chemicals including nitric acid and sodium dioxide.

The clearest evidence of pollution has come from billions of tiny plastic pellets, known as nurdles, which have washed ashore.

“The pollutants of particular concern are nurdles, as they have the potential to spread over vast distances and recovery of these small plastic pellets can be difficult and protracted,” ITOPF said.

A large part of the nurdules  had washed up on Sri Lankan beaches.  “We do not know how much more was eaten by fish in the ocean. According to the information I have, plastic pallets piled up on the beach have been collected and stored in 40 containers.”