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AG to report progress on X-Press Pearl

22 Sep 2022

  BY Buddhika Samaraweera   Colombo High Court Judge Damith Thotawatte ordered Attorney General (AG) Sanjay Rajaratnam PC yesterday (21) to present the progress of the investigations related to the May 2021 incident of the MV X-Press Pearl ship that caught fire in Sri Lankan waters on 23 November 2022. The case concerning the MV X-Press Pearl vessel was taken up yesterday when the State Counsel who appeared for the AG informed the court that investigations related to the incident are still ongoing, but as the relevant investigations are in their final stage, the SC requested the court to provide a date for the submission of the relevant reports. Accordingly, the judge ordered that the relevant reports be submitted on 23 November, when the case will be taken up again. On 20 May 2021, the MV X-Press Pearl caught fire off the coast of Colombo. The vessel was engulfed in flames by 27 May and declared a total loss. It was still afloat, and the fire was thought to be under control by Sri Lankan firefighters by the late hours of 27 May 2021. After burning for 12 days, the vessel sank on 2 June as it was being towed away to deeper waters. The incident was deemed the worst marine ecological disaster in Sri Lankan history due to the chemical products that spilled out, devastating marine life and the livelihoods of fisher folk.  


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