The government of Sri Lanka will reopen investigations into a maritime incident wherein a foreign-flagged commercial vessel caught fire and eventually sank in the waters near the capital Colombo more than three years prior.
The government’s reopening of the probe into the incident involving the Singapore-flagged containership X-Press Pearl will be undertaken with the aim of seeking insurance payouts totalling at least US$6.4 billion.
Work is still ongoing to clean up the pollution caused by the incident, which began on May 20, 2021, when a blaze ignited in one of the containers carried by the ship. The firefighting effort lasted six days as flames continued to spread throughout the ship, prompting authorities to order that it be towed to deeper waters.
The ship sank while under tow on June 2, 2021. It has since remained partially submerged and under continuous monitoring by local authorities.
A local environmental group had said that the incident resulted in over 150 kilometres of Sri Lanka's coastline being covered with microplastic particles.
Urban Development and Housing State Minister Arundika Fernando told local media in 2023 that the incident warrants compensation totalling approximately US$6.5 billion due to the damage suffered by the surrounding coastal environment as a result of the incident.
The compensation claim was filed in April 2023. However, Sri Lanka has so far received only US$12.5 million from the London P&I Club, X-Press Pearl’s insurer.
The government intends to relaunch the investigation into the incident following this November’s parliamentary elections.