According to media stories on Wednesday, a cargo ship bearing the flag of Singapore, which caught fireplace close to Colombo seashore final week, may sink, inflicting severe environmental issues within the island nation.
Desperate makes an attempt to extinguish the hearth appeared to fail as officers ready for a significant oil spill. The Colombo Gazette newspaper reported that MV ‘X-Press Pearl’ was “unstable” and “expected to sink”.
In addition to the 325 metric tons of gas in its tanks, the X-Press Pearl was laden with 1,4 containers containing about 25 tons of hazardous nitric acid.
The report states that the Marine Environmental Protection Authority has warned that any oil spill will transfer in direction of the delicate Negombo Lagoon, which is a significant vacationer attraction.
The authorities had earlier informed the locals to keep away from coming involved with the wreckage and dirt.
ICG ships Vajra and Vaibhav are engaged in extinguishing the hearth within the container vessel MV X-Press Pearl, engulfed in flames from Colombo harbor of Sri Lanka. (PTI)
The cargo vessel was carrying a consignment of chemical compounds and uncooked supplies for cosmetics from Hazira, Colombo port in Gujarat. It caught fireplace right here at 9.5 nautical miles from the coast, the place it was anchored exterior the Colombo harbor on 20 May.
A serious operation was began to extinguish the flames of the ship. A particular staff from the Sri Lankan Navy, Sri Lanka Port Authority and the Marine Environmental Protection Authority arrived on the container ship affected by the hearth on 21 May.
On May 26, 2021 in Sri Lanka, smoke rises from a hearth in an MV X-Press Pearl container at sea close to Colombo Harbor. (Reuters)
Following a name for assist, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Tuesday despatched two ships — the ICG’s splendor and the patrol vessel Vajra — and one ICG plane to extinguish the hearth and improve air pollution management measures.
Officials stated that as a result of tough seas and inclement climate, the cargo ship has now tilted to the proper, leading to among the containers on board falling into the ocean and sinking a few of them.
News channels on Wednesday confirmed horrifying photographs of the southwest coast from Colombo to Negombo, lined with black mud, particles and industrial-sized containers.
Officials stated {that a} huge marketing campaign can be carried out to clear the particles. PTI India
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
