A UN team of oil spill and chemical experts, provided by the EU, is working with the Sri Lankan Government to assess the environmental impact of the MV X-press Pearl, which sank off Colombo last month.
The team from the UN, France and Italy is a collaboration between the humanitarian arm of the EU (ECHO/ERCC) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) / Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Joint Environment Unit.
As informed, the team is providing technical advisory support to the Sri Lankan experts on oil spill contingency planning, clean-up operations and environmental impact assessment, drawing on international best practice and lessons learned from similar incidents.
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They will work closely with Sri Lankan counterparts from Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), Ministry of Environment, Central Environmental Authority (CEA), Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and a host of other government agencies.
An independent UN report on the incident will be produced with key findings and recommendations on short-term response measures and longer-term recovery planning and submitted to the Government.
The UN is coordinating international efforts and mobilizing partners to support Sri Lanka in addressing the disaster of the MV X-Press Pearl, based on a request by the Government…Our efforts are intended to support assessment of the damage, recovery efforts and ensure prevention of such disasters in the future,
…UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Hanaa Singer-Hamdy said.
The EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) acts as a coordination hub with the 27 Member States of the EU and was activated on request of the Sri Lankan Government to mobilize support in addressing the X-Press pearl incident.
In addition, satellite images were provided through the EMSA to detect potential oil spills. A donation of EUR 200,000 will also be provided by the humanitarian arm of the European Union (EU ECHO) for protective equipment used in cleaning operations and to assist fishermen who have lost their livelihoods.
The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, carrying 1,486 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid along with other chemicals and cosmetics, was anchored off Sri Lanka’s west coast, when a fire erupted onboard after an explosion on May 20, which made the ship sink some days later.
Last week, Sri Lankan authorities arrested the captain of the ill-fated vessel, who was later released on bail.
The IMO announced it is also closely monitoring the situation.
