X-Press Pearl disaster: SL still awaiting response to its initial compensation claim

By Ifham Nizam

There has been no response so far from the Singapore flagged ship, X-Press Pearl owner and insurance brokers to Sri Lanka’s initial claim for compensation, an official said.

They have still not gone beyond saying the “damages caused will be assessed”, he said.

“We have asked the Singaporean government to exert pressure on the ship’s owner to expedite the process of removing the wreck of the gutted feeder vessel”, he further said.

Meanwhile, the committee studying the five sectors badly affected by the disaster has indicated that an initial assessment showed this was the biggest catastrophe to the country’s marine species and biodiversity.

Four experts from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) arrived in Colombo last week to share their inputs on the damage assessment and recovery process.

X-Press Feeders said in a recent statement that due to the exposed nature of the anchorage to the prevailing south westerly monsoon, it is likely that the wreck removal can only start after the adverse sea conditions subside. Caretaker services will remain on site until then.

The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) believes that the ship’s wreck would be cleared within three months.

State Minister, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, quoting experts assessing the damage, said Sri Lanka has to grapple with the worst plastic nurdles (small plastic pellets serving as a raw material in the manufacture of plastic products) disaster in its history.

Earlier, he held a discussions with foreign experts now in the country to help local teams assess the damages.

The nurdles are about the size of a lentil, and like anything tiny and round, they are hard to keep track of as they roll away and tumble into waterways. The wind can also blow them around, scientists pointed out.

“Sri Lanka is facing a serious issue because of the nurdles stored in 87 containers on board the X-Press Pearl”, they said.

According to the experts, a major part of the nurdles may have been destroyed by the fire, with around 40 per cent getting into the ocean to be washed ashore.