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Significant damage to planet from ship disaster: UN

21 Jun 2021

  • Team of oil spill and chemical experts from EU assisting SL

  United Nations (UN) Resident Co-ordinator in Sri Lanka Hanaa Singer-Hamdy has stated that the nature of the environmental emergency that occurred as a result of the MV X-Press Pearl ship disaster has caused significant damage to the planet, including the marine ecosystem, which in turn affects the livelihoods of people in coastal areas. “The UN is co-ordinating international efforts and mobilising partners to support Sri Lanka in addressing the disaster of the MV X-Press Pearl, based on a request by the Government. An environmental emergency of this nature causes significant damage to the planet by the release of hazardous substances into the ecosystem; this in turn threatens lives and livelihoods of the population in the coastal areas. Our efforts are intended to support assessment of the damage, recovery efforts and ensure prevention of such disasters in the future,” a statement released by UN Sri Lanka on 19 Saturday quoted Singer-Hamdy as saying.  The statement said that a team of oil spill and chemical experts from the European Union (EU) is providing technical support to local experts on oil spill contingency planning, clean-up operations, and environmental impact assessment. The team is also expected to submit an independent UN report on the incident, including short-term and long-term response recommendations to the Government of Sri Lanka. The three experts are Dr. Stephane Le Floch from the France National Oil Response and Research Centre (CEDRE), who is a specialist in oil spill response and contingency planning; Dr. Camille La Croix, also from CEDRE specialising in marine litter pollution; and Luigi Alcaro from the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA, Environment Ministry), who specialises in environmental impact assessment of oil and hazardous noxious substance spills in the marine environment.  The team is led by Hassan Partow from UNEPs Resilience to Disasters and Conflicts Global Support Branch (Ecosystems Division).  Meanwhile, foreign news media on 19 Saturday reported that satellite images around the MV X-Press Pearl wreck indicate a “blue-green” patch, which could be from a possible algae bloom as a result of the excessive chemicals that were released from the ship. The Morning reliably learnt from government authorities that the National Aquatic Resources Authority (NARA) is conducting investigations into the matter, although no conclusion had been reached as at the time of printing (20).  Similarly, earlier this month an oil spill was indicated by satellite images, although the Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) confirmed that there was no spill from the 300 metric tonnes (MT) of bunker oil onboard the ship. Further investigations are being conducted on the matter.  Meanwhile, dead marine animals such as turtles and dolphins continue to wash up on the country’s shores. University of Ruhuna Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences and Technology Senior Prof. Ruchira Cumaratunga, an expert member of the committees appointed by MEPA, said last week that initial investigations show that both turtles and fish have died as a result of burns and chemical damages. On Saturday, the body of a dead whale about 12 feet long with burn injuries washed ashore on a beach in Mannar, although this has not yet been linked to the ship disaster. The MV X-Press Pearl ship caught fire on 20 May, approximately 9 nautical miles away from the Colombo Harbour, after having anchored there a few hours prior to the fire. A subsequent explosion on 24 May led to the fire spreading and a number of containers aboard it falling into the sea, 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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