Burned box ship sinking off Sri Lanka

26 May, 2021

Sri Lanka’s Navy have said crew members aboard container feeder ship X-Press Pearl were evacuated when windy conditions exacerbated a fire on board the vessel.

The 25 crew members and salvors on site were evacuated as the blaze grew out of control and caused an explosion on the box ship, which was anchored near Colombo, on Sri Lanka’s west coast, on Tuesday.

2021-built X-Press Pearl was en route from Hazira port in Gujarat, India to Singapore, and the vessel was anchored 9.5 nautical miles northwest of the Colombo Port when a container caught fire, according to the vessel’s owners.

The fire had been thought to be under control, however weather conditions intensified the blaze.

In a statement on 25 May, shipowners X-Press Feeders said, "Despite the best efforts of salvors and firefighting tugs, the blaze had spread overnight, fanned by strong winds. With the crew’s safety of utmost importance to X-Press Feeders, the decision was made to evacuate them. X-Press Feeders will continue to work closely with the

Sri Lankan authorities and emergency services with assistance from its appointed salvors to extinguish the blaze and to save the vessel and its cargo."

The Sri Lankan Navy said the fire broke out in the forecastle area and spread to the quarterdeck, exacerbated by strong winds due to changing weather conditions. Some containers have fallen into the sea and are believed to have sunk. The 2,700-TEU container feeder vessel is carrying a cargo of cosmetics and chemicals, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid.

An effort was underway to try to move Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl away from the shoreline and to begin oil spill mitigation measures. On Twitter, Sri Lanka’s state minister of Fishery Harbours, Kanchana Wijesekera said “The Department of Fisheries is working together with MEPA, Navy, Coast Guard and other authorities to contain and clean up the oil spill to minimise the damage to the marine environment.”

Following an emergency request from Sri Lanka, India deployed a Dornier aircraft, patrol vessels Vaibhav, Vajra, pollution control vessel Samudra Prehari and a tug for assistance with rescue and pollution control.

In addition, the Indian Coast Guard formations at Kochi, Chennai and Tuticorin are on standby for assistance with pollution response.

The vessel’s owners said specialised firefighting equipment had arrived from Europe to join the salvage operations.

Sri Lankan authorities said experts from the Netherlands and Belgium were surveying the ship. The country’s minister for shipping Rohitha Abeygunawardena was quoted by Reuters as saying “A special Dutch flight with vital equipment to contain the fire is now expected to reach Sri Lanka.”

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