Sri Lanka braces for environmental disaster as ship sinks

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Plastic pellets that got washed ashore from fire-damaged container ship MV X-Press Pearl is collected by the naval officers and kept in sacks on the beach at Kapungoda, outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, June 3, 2021. Authorities were trying to head off a potential environmental disaster Thursday as the Singapore-flagged ship that had been carrying chemicals was sinking off of the country’s main port. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

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This photo provided by Sri Lankan Air Force shows the sinking MV X-Press Pearl at Kapungoda where it is anchored off Colombo port, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Salvage experts were attempting to tow the fire-stricken container ship that had been loaded with chemicals into the deep sea as the vessel started to sink Wednesday. Water submerged the MV X-Press Pearl’s quarterdeck a day after firefighters extinguished a blaze that had been burning for 12 days. (Sri Lanka Air Force via AP)

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The MV X-Press Pearl, left, is pulled by a navel vessel at Kapungoda, where it is anchored off Colombo port on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Salvage experts were attempting to tow the fire-stricken container ship that had been loaded with chemicals into the deep sea as the vessel started to sink Wednesday off Sri Lanka’s main port, officials said. Water submerged the MV X-Press Pearl’s quarterdeck a day after firefighters extinguished a blaze that had been burning for 12 days. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

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A crab roams on a beach polluted with polythene pellets that washed ashore from burning ship MV X-Press Pearl anchored off Colombo port at Kapungoda, out skirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, May 31, 2021. The fire on the Singapore-flagged ship has been burning since May 20, ravaging the ship. Debris from the burning ship that has washed ashore is causing severe pollution on beaches. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

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Sri Lankan navy soldiers collect debris that washed ashore from burning ship MV X-Press Pearl anchored off Colombo port at Kapungoda, out skirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, May 31, 2021. The fire on the Singapore-flagged ship has been burning since May 20, ravaging the ship. Debris from the burning ship that has washed ashore is causing severe pollution on beaches. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

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Officials from Sri Lanka’s environment authority inspect the beach for oil spills as plastic pellets that got washed ashore from fire-damaged container ship MV X-Press Pearl is collected by the naval officers and kept in sacks on the beach at Kapungoda, outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, June 3, 2021. Authorities were trying to head off a potential environmental disaster Thursday as the Singapore-flagged ship that had been carrying chemicals was sinking off of the country’s main port. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

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The MV X-Press Pearl, left, is seen pulled by other navel vessels at Kapungoda, where it is anchored off Colombo port on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Salvage experts were attempting to tow the fire-stricken container ship that had been loaded with chemicals into the deep sea as the vessel started to sink Wednesday off Sri Lanka’s main port, officials said. Water submerged the MV X-Press Pearl’s quarterdeck a day after firefighters extinguished a blaze that had been burning for 12 days. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

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A cow takes refuge from rain under an overpass at a generally crowded intersection during a lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, June 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

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In this satellite photo provided by Planet Labs Inc., the Singapore-flagged MV X-Press Pearl is seen on fire in the Laccadive Sea off Sri Lanka on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Authorities in Sri Lanka were trying to head off a potential environmental disaster Thursday, June 3, 2021, as the fire-damaged container ship was sinking off of the country’s main port. (Planet Labs Inc. via AP)

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Sri Lankan navy soldiers carry a sack of polythene pellets that washed ashore from burning ship MV X-Press Pearl anchored off Colombo port at Kapungoda, out skirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, May 31, 2021. The fire on the Singapore-flagged ship has been burning since May 20, ravaging the ship. Debris from the burning ship that has washed ashore is causing severe pollution on beaches. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

By Bharatha Mallawarachi

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Authorities in Sri Lanka were trying to head off a potential environmental disaster Thursday as a fire-damaged container ship that had been carrying chemicals was sinking off of the country’s main port.

The Singapore-flagged MV X-Press Pearl started sinking Wednesday, a day after authorities extinguished a fire that raged on the vessel for 12 days. Efforts to tow the ship into deeper waters away from the port in Colombo failed after the ship’s stern became submerged and rested on the seabed.

The ship’s operators, X-Press Feeders, say the fire destroyed most of the ship’s cargo, which included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals. But there are fears that remaining chemicals as well as hundreds of tons of oil from the vessel’s fuel tanks could leak into the sea.

Such a disaster could devastate marine life and further pollute the island nation’s famed beaches. The disaster has already caused debris — including several tons of plastic pellets used to make plastic bags — to wash a ashore.

The government already has banned fishing along about 80 kilometers (50 miles) of coastline.

The ship operator said Thursday that the vessel’s stern was resting on the seabed about 21 meters (70 feet) below the surface and the ship’s bow was “settling down slowly.” It said salvage experts were remaining with the vessel “to monitor the ship’s condition and oil pollution.”

The company said its experts were coordinating with Sri Lanka’s navy to deal with an oil spill or other pollution.

Sri Lankan navy spokesman Indika de Silva said the navy and coast guard were preparing for a spill with assistance from neighboring India. India has sent three ships to help, including one specifically equipped to deal with marine pollution.

Colombo port’s harbor master, Nirmal Silva, said there had been about 300 tons of oil on board and that experts believe it could have burned off in the fire.

“But we have to look at the worst-case scenario and we are not saying 100% there is no oil. There is a possibility that there may be some,” Silva said. “So far we have not seen any oil spill. We consider we are lucky.”

A ship manifest seen by The Associated Press described the X-Press Pearl as carrying just under 1,500 containers, with 81 of those containers described as carrying “dangerous” goods.

Environmentalist Ajantha Perera said there was the potential for “a terrible environmental disaster” as hazardous goods, chemicals and oil could be released into the water and destroy marine ecological systems.

Charitha Pattiaratchi, a professor of oceanography at the University of Western Australia, said as many as 3 billion tiny plastic pellets had already been released into the sea and were washing up on beaches. He said the pellets, known as nurdles, “will persist in the marine environment forever as they are not biodegradable.”

The fire erupted on May 20 when the ship was anchored about 9.5 nautical miles (18 kilometers) northwest of Colombo and waiting to enter the port.

The navy believes the blaze was caused by the vessel’s chemical cargo which was carrying from the port of Hazira, India.

Sri Lankan police are probing the fire, and a court in Colombo on Tuesday banned the captain, the engineer and the assistant engineer from leaving the country. The government has said it will take legal action against the owners of the ship to claim compensation.

Sri Lanka’s Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said “it wouldn’t be an easy task to calculate the damage caused to our environment.”

He told the media late Wednesday that an investigation was underway to determine what went wrong and whether the shipping company was responsible.

“If this disaster happened due to negligence, then those responsible should be punished,” he said.

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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.