X-Press Pearl disaster : Five people indicted

COLOMBO (News 1st) -  Indictments were filed in the presence of Colombo High Court Judge Damith Thotawatte against five accused including the Captain of the X-Press Pearl vessel, and the location agent on Friday (25).  The indictments come almost 18 months after the disater took place.

X-Press Pearl was carrying 1,486 containers when it caught fire off Colombo on May 20, 2021, and  sank off the coast of Colombo several days later.

The Attorney General had filed the case against eight people, including the five accused, indicting them under eight counts for committing offenses under the Marine Pollution Prevention (MPP) Act No 59 of 1981.

The Colombo High Court Judge ordered for notice to be sent to the three accused who did not appear in court on Friday (25) to appear on the 12th of December 2022.

The five accused who were present in court on Friday (25) were barred from travelling overseas, and they were released on a personal bail of Rs. 1 Million each.

Incident Overview:

On May 20, 2021, the Singapore -flagged Containership, ‘X-Press Pearl’ reported smoke from the cargo hold while at Colombo anchorage, Sri Lanka.

On May 21, the vessel reported fire on deck. Firefighting tugs were deployed by the port authority and a helicopter providing support to help fight the fire. The ship’s crew assisted with boundary cooling of the area.

On May 22, the sound of an explosion was heard in cargo hold #2.

Tugs continued the firefighting operation with Posh Teal, Posh Hardy, Megha, Hercules, Mahawewa deployed.

12 crew members disembarked from the vessel on May 23 to make way for a 12-person firefighting team. The firefighting team continued the operation in conjunction with water spraying tugs on site.

By May 24, the fire had intensified and was spreading toward the aft of the vessel.

A further and louder explosion was heard on May 25, and as a prudent measure, it was decided to evacuate all 13 crew and the firefighting team of 12.

The crew and firefighting team were transferred to a quarantine facility ashore.
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Firefighting tugs were operating on-site throughout May 26, with the assistance of Sri Lankan Navy helicopters and vessels and two Indian Coastguard vessels.

On May 27, efforts to extinguish the fire onboard were ongoing with firefighting tugs, the Sri Lankan Navy and Indian coastguard remaining on scene.

An inspection team were able to board the vessel on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 1, and reported the engine room flooded.

There are concerns over the amount of water in the hull and its effect on the ship’s stability.

Efforts to make a connection for towing failed after several attempts due to the tug’s movement caused by the swell. The operation was aborted for safety reasons.

Despite salvors subsequently boarding the vessel on June 2 and attaching a tow wire, efforts to move the ship to deeper waters failed, and the ships aft portion sank to the bottom at a depth of 21 meters.

Oil Spill Response Limited is appointed to respond to any possible spill and is liaising with ITOPF, who will provide technical expertise.

The ship eventually settled in the seabed off Sri Lankan shores.

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