International
The X-Press Pearl continues to burn as investigations begin
Published May 31, 2021 1:58 PM by
Maritime Executive
Fire on board containers Perla X-Press continues to burn as crews worked to cool the hotspots aboard the ship. After being burned for more than a week, firefighters said it may take a few more days, but at this time there is no visible flame aboard the three-month-old ship.
X-Press Feeders, operators of the 36,000 dwt ship, reported that fire crews are using specialized equipment brought from the Netherlands to find hotspots aboard the ship. They are using heat search equipment while spraying and misting the hull and keys to cool the vessel. The smoke can still be seen rising from the back of the boat.
Firefighting efforts have been challenged by the high seas and strong winds. Today, officials reported that winds rose due to a monsoon in the region.
(Indian Coast Guard)
An initial study of the ship said the hull, so far, has remained intact. There were fears that the intensity of the fire might jeopardize the integrity of the hull. The X-Press Feeders said SMIT, which was hired to fight the fire and handle the rescue, was considering boarding the ship to join an attractive link, but Sri Lankan officials said it was currently too hot for boarding the ship. They also said they wanted to be sure the ship could stay moving by its current mooring approximately 9.5 miles northwest of Colombo.
Contractors have also been brought in to help Sri Lankans clean up the beaches as fire debris continues to be washed ashore. The head of Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Agency, Dharshani Lahandapura, told reporters that this was probably the worst environmental disaster in the country’s history. He said efforts were being made to determine the extent of the damage, but he was confident it was the worst environmental incident in his life.
In addition to shoreline metals and other debris, the containers have been washed ashore, as well as contents from other containers that were shredded after falling into the ocean. Among the range of debris they now report on beaches are thousands of microplastics. So far, however, they are reporting no oil leaks from the ship’s bunkers.
MEPA reports that it has started taking water samples as well as testing the burned waste found from the beaches. They are looking for chemical waste, including possibly nitric acid, the vessel reported in its cargo.
The Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Unit from the police department has also started crew interviews and intelligence gathering. Sri Lankan officials have said they envision raising charges against the ship’s captain and owner for causing the environmental disaster. They continue to investigate reports that the captain was aware of a chemical leaking from one or more containers before the ship arrived in Sri Lanka.
In the fall of 2020, Sri Lanka demanded restitution from oil tanker owners Diamond and Ri as the ship also burned on the shores of the country. In that case, they avoided a serious environmental incident, but the country demanded millions of dollars for its firefighting efforts. Criminal charges were also filed against the tanker captain, who later paid $ 65,000 in fines before being allowed to leave the country.
(Port Authority of Sri Lanka)
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