According to Sri Lankan reports, the government pledged to study the X-Press Pearl disaster which occurred in 2021 and declared to launch an investigation over it in the near future.
The MV X-Press Pearl, a container ship carrying hazardous chemicals caught fire off Sri Lanka’s coast on 20 May 2021. It washed up tons of plastic pellets and other pollutants on the beaches and harmed the marine ecosystem. The then government, through the Attorney General’s Department, filed a lawsuit in Singapore.
According to the local reports, Sri Lanka is now poised to receive US $ 810,696.57 as cost involved in beach cleaning and debris removal after the X-Press Pearl disaster but the authorities concerned are yet to submit claim for civil liability cost which is the biggest amount.
The ship owner has agreed to settle this amount to cover the beach cleaning and debris removal cost for the period between 1 July 2023 and 29 February 2024.
Based on the reports, while the full extent of the damage is yet to be determined by the MEPA, the insurance company for the ship has already compensated the Sri Lankan government to the tune of USD 7.85 million, according to a report published by the Institute of Policy Studies.
