Sri Lanka: Dead marine creatures wash up on beaches after burning of MV X-Press Pearl ship

Sri Lanka’s government on June 6 said that bodies of more than 10 turtles, a dolphin, seabirds and fish have washed up on the country’s beaches after the sinking of burnt-off X-Press Pearl container ship. According to ANI, the Department of Wildlife Conservation officials said that an investigation was underway to ascertain the cause of death of the marine species. They also informed that the dead marine creatures were found on beaches from Puttalam in the northwest to Mirissa in the south. 

“Most of the turtles that were found dead on the beaches off Panadura and Wellawatte had their carapaces broken. One dead turtle at the Unawatuna beach was found with injures," an official involved in the investigation said. 

Now, a link between the marine life's death and the burning of the X-Press Pearl container ship is expected to be the focus of the investigation. Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Authority, on the other hand, has said that the burning of the vessel caused a massive environmental disaster as many beaches were damaged by the debris washing ashore. The Sri Lankan government said that a large number of marine life have been killed as a result of the pollution caused by the fire, while the fisheries department has imposed a temporary ban on fishing from the southern to the western coast. 

MV X-Press Pearl, carrying tons of plastic, chemicals, and oil sunk off the coast in Sri Lanka, sparking fears of the worst environmental disaster. It was laden with over 1,486 containers that consisted of 25 tonnes of nitric acid, among other chemicals, which was loaded at the port of Hazira, India, on May 15. The southeast Asian nation’s government announced that the vessel burnt for nearly two weeks. 

Environmentalists file case against SL govt

It engulfed the coastline in tons of plastic pellets, and debris, prompting the Sri Lankan administration to ban fishing 50 miles along the coastline. Millions of bead-like bits of plastic washed ashore on the Pamunugama beach, north of the capital, in Colombo which is located in the complete opposite direction where the burning X-Press Pearl was anchored. Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit against the Sri Lankan government and operators of MV X-Press Pearl over the shipwreck that caused damage to the environment. 

The petitioners have requested the Supreme Court to instruct the respondents to pay compensation to the fishermen and the fishing industry. They have also requested the court to instruct compensation for losses faced by the tourism industry and those involved in the tourism industry in the affected areas. They further asked the authorities to assess the health implications caused to the people by appointing an expert committee and to submit such preliminary and final reports to the courts.

(With inputs from ANI)