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Preparations for oil spill scenario

27 May 2021

  • Fire waning slightly: SLPA

  • Wattala-Negombo shoreline polluted: Environmental org.

  • Police to nab debris seekers

By Pamodi Waravita   Authorities are now preparing for the worst case scenario of an oil spill from the burning Singaporean flag ship MV X-Press Pearl, although there had been no reports of such an oil spill as of last evening (26), officials at the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) told The Morning yesterday. The officials further noted that two vessels which had arrived from India on 25 May to assist in dousing the flames aboard the ship were, in fact, primarily to contain a potential oil spill. Speaking to The Morning, Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Spokesman Capt. Indika De Silva said that an Indian aircraft had observed the situation for approximately two hours yesterday, assessing both the risk of an oil spill and the damages caused so far. The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) Chairperson Dharshani Lahandapura had told the media yesterday that if an oil spill does occur, it would likely move towards the Negombo Lagoon. MEPA officials told The Morning that the International Tanker Owners’ Pollution Federation (ITOPF) had said that initiating an active response in the case of a potential oil spill would not be effective at the moment due to the prevailing inclement weather conditions which have resulted in rough seas and gusty winds. Commenting on the state of the blaze, SLPA officials said that they have seen a decrease in the fire since yesterday morning. Although the fire had sought to spread through the entire ship, it had been reduced to a certain degree by yesterday evening. However, SLPA officials told The Morning that even as of last evening, the ship could not be approached too closely. The fire initially broke out onboard the ship on 20 May, five days after its departure from the Indian Port of Hazira on 15 May. Commenting on the efforts since then, the SLPA officials said that although the authorities had assumed that the situation was under control, the explosion onboard the ship on 25 May, and the prevailing windy weather conditions, did not help. Yesterday, a further danger had been posed when the risk of fire near the anchor of the ship had threatened to disconnect the ship and the anchor. However, the anchor had not been considerably damaged. The Morning reported yesterday that despite advice from the MEPA to tow the ship from the Colombo Harbour to 50 nautical miles into the deep seas in order to minimise the damage closer to the shore and to Lankan territorial waters, it was impossible to do so until the fire was brought under control. Officials further said that a causality investigation would have to be conducted by the Director General of Merchant Shipping, who directly liaises with the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Initial reports show that a nitric acid leakage has led to the fire. Commenting on the 25-member crew that was rescued from the ship, officials said that they are currently in isolation centres. The SLN told The Morning on 25 May that two persons rescued from aboard the ship had been admitted to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka due to injuries. News reports from yesterday reported that the same duo had tested positive for Covid-19 at the Hospital. Speaking to The Morning, the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) Executive Director Hemantha Withanage said that the danger lies in unidentified chemicals that may have been on the ship. “So far, it is reported that nitric acid was aboard the ship. Although chemicals used in cosmetics do not pose a huge danger, it is reported that there were 1,400 containers of chemicals on the ship. We do not know as to whether some of these chemicals could cause significant damage to us,” said Withanage. Withanage also noted that this was the second such disaster in recent times, following the MT New Diamond, an oil tanker, which caught on fire late last year in the Eastern shores of the country. According to Withanage, although compensation of $ 2.2 million was anticipated from the ship, only $ 65,000 had been paid to the country. Thus, Withanage stressed the need for efficient laws to both prevent such disasters in Sri Lankan waters and to ensure that Sri Lanka is adequately compensated for any damages. “We don’t have a rapid response mechanism in the country yet, although Sri Lanka lies on an extremely busy shipping route. If we had such a mechanism, the insurance covering those ships could also be legally and financially held accountable for any damages occurring in our waters. However, the problem now is that the authorities find answers when a problem arises instead of being proactive about potential disasters,” said Withanage. According to Withanage, it is extremely difficult to obtain compensation for such disasters due to Sri Lanka’s lack of adequate laws. He noted that with a proper disaster management plan, we could have both equipment, and a system capable of fighting, preventing, and responding to such situations, including a separate team, instead of sole reliance on the SLN. Meanwhile, the environmental organisation Pearl Protectors of Sri Lanka has said in a Facebook post that the shoreline from Wattala to Negombo has become densely polluted with debris from the ship. The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) Chairman Siripala Amarasinghe told The Morning that since the ship started burning last week, the CEA has been in active communications with the MEPA and the Department of Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management. “We conducted a meeting with all of our regional directors to inform them of the situation that could arise on the beaches. Our main advice at the moment for the public is to not touch any debris that washes up on shore. The effects could be immediate or long term from the chemicals that were on the ship and it is vital that people do not come into contact with any of it,” stressed Amarasinghe. Amarasinghe speculated that technical or management problems in the ship could have led to this disaster, acknowledging that the damage to the country’s marine environment would have to be assessed. Meanwhile, Police Media Spokesman Deputy Inspector General of Police Ajith Rohana had told the media that the Police had already begun investigations on individuals who had touched and carried off the debris that had washed up ashore.


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