COLOMBO : The MV X-press Pearl vessel which caught fire in Sri Lankan waters, is currently sinking due to a water leak on Wednesdsy. A team of Sri Lanka Navy join the salvor team to tow the ship to deep sea as instructed by the President Gotabaya Raja[aksa.
“ A major part of the fire-stricken cargo ship MV X-Press Pearl, which is currently being towed to deeper waters, is sinking,” Navy Spokesman Captain Indika de Silva told Colombo Times on Wednesday.
The spokesman said the fire was completely extinguished. Reports revealed that water leaking into the vessel has caused it to sink by 50 per cent.
The efforts to tow the Singapore-registered container ship began this Wednesday morning,June 02 after a naval team joined the salvor team on board to tow it away from Sri Lanka capital.
On Tuesday June 01, the salvor team members had boarded the container ship after dousing the inferno.
Meanwhile, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa directed the Chairman of Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) to tow the vessel into deeper seas in order to prevent further marine pollution. The instructions were given during a special meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday.
On May 20, a massive fire erupted on MV X-Press Pearl carrying 1,500 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid while it was in anchorage about 9.5 nautical miles northwest of Colombo Harbour.
It is believed that the fire was sparked by a leak of nitric acid on the 186m-long vessel. Monsoon winds had fanned the flames out of control. Fire-fighting efforts carried out by nine Sri Lankan ships and three Indian vessels including an anti-pollution vessel along with international salvage experts were in full swing for over the weeks.
