Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) initiated an investigation into a possible environmental impact from the fire that took place on May 21, onboard X-Press Pearl near the Colombo port.
More specifically, as the containership was carrying nitric acid, the investigation aims to determine if the incident has caused any damage to the marine environment, local media reported.
What is more, MEPA Chairperson Dharshani Lahandapura stated that teams have been deeployed to reduce the heat in the surrounding area of containers onboard the cargo ship, with flames still being visible on top of the containers.
Now, in order to contorl the situation, a special team comprised of the Navy, Sri Lanka Ports Authority and MEPA, went on the ship, monitoring the situation. The team also worked to tackle the fire onboard.
In order to further help with the firefighting operation, a fast attack craft was also deployed.
The container ship was carrying 25 crew at the time of the incident. No injuries have been reported.