• Only $ 1 m paid out of $ 1 b: Dabare

Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) Co-Founder and Senior Legal Adviser, Attorney-at-Law Dr. Ravindranath Dabare on Thursday (15) called for the establishment of an international tribunal to hold transnational corporations accountable for environmental damage, citing the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster as an example of the limitations of domestic legal remedies. 

Addressing a session of the Friends of the Earth International process at the United Nations compound in Geneva on Thursday, Dr. Dabare highlighted the gap between the compensation ordered by Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court and the amount reportedly paid by the companies linked to the disaster. 

This comes as the insurers’ legal team representing parties involved in the X-Press Pearl compensation dispute arrived in Sri Lanka on 29 September and held discussions with several senior Government officials, including representatives of the Treasury and the Attorney General’s Department.  

Neither the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) nor the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) confirmed that the legal team had arrived in Sri Lanka.  

It was learnt that the team, involved in proceedings initiated by the Singapore Government, met with local parties to discuss implementation and compliance with the final Supreme Court judgment. 

However, Dabare said in Geneva: “Our organisation initiated Fundamental Rights litigation before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. In July 2025, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment addressing constitutional violations and ordered the X-Press Pearl group of companies to pay $ 1 billion in compensation to the Sri Lankan Treasury. However, only $ 1 million has reportedly been paid to date.”

The X-Press Pearl disaster in May 2021 saw the Singapore-flagged vessel catch fire and subsequently sink off Sri Lanka’s western coast, releasing hazardous chemicals, including nitric acid, caustic soda, and methanol, alongside approximately 1,680 tonnes of plastic pellets and debris.  

Dr. Dabare highlighted the resulting environmental damage, threats to public health, and disruption to coastal livelihoods, calling for an international tribunal to hold corporations accountable where domestic legal systems failed to provide effective remedies.  

He stressed that environmental justice must extend beyond national borders, with enforceable international laws protecting affected communities, future generations, and nature.