By Tharumalee Silva
Despite discussions that were held on Thursday (15), authorities have failed to make a final decision regarding the ship stranded in Rumassala, Deputy General Manager (Overseeing) A.J.M. Gunasekara of the Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) said.Gunasekara said the discussions revealed that the removal of the ship in its current status can cause harm to the environment.
“The owner of the ship still has the power to claim the ship which is now under the authority of the Merchant Shipping Division. Further, the owner of the ship still has not submitted a salvage report or a surveyor’s report to assess the situation,” he further noted.
He said the owners would have a period of one year to claim the ship after which the authorities of the Merchant Shipping Division would have to come to a conclusion regarding the issue.
The ship washed ashore in Rumassala beach on 18 July and 22 tonnes of oil were pumped ashore under the supervision of MEPA and all immediate threats to the environment were halted.