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Half of X-Press Pearl crew permitted to exit SL

13 Dec 2021

  • Travel ban remains on four
BY Pamodi Waravita The travel ban imposed by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on four crew members of the MV X-Press Pearl ship were lifted on 10 December, thus allowing them to leave Sri Lanka. In total, eight crew members faced a travel ban following the MV X-Press Pearl fire in Sri Lankan waters earlier this year. However, the travel ban on the ship’s Captain, imposed by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, is still intact. Following the lifting of the ban, X-Press Feeders said in a statement that arrangements are underway to immediately repatriate the four crewmen to their families, whilst the company is working to lift the travel ban on the remaining crew members. In what is termed as the “country’s largest marine environment disaster”, the MV X-Press Pearl ship caught fire on 20 May this year, approximately nine nautical miles away from the Colombo Harbour. A subsequent explosion on 24 May led to the fire spreading and a number of containers aboard it falling into the sea, thus releasing pollutants including plastic pellets into the water. Since then, debris and deceased marine life have washed up on the country’s western coastline, heavily affecting both the fisheries industry and the country’s marine environment.


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