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Opp. Leader calls for broad independent probe on ’MV X –press Pearl’ fire
In a special communiqué, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa stressed for an independent probe to determine as to who had granted permission to the ship to enter Sri Lankan waters and into the vicinity of Colombo Port, whether the crew members informed the relevant Sri Lankan authorities that they were approaching the Sri Lankan waters and to determine as to how much Sri Lanka should claim as damages from the owners that owns the ship.
Mr. Premadasa also questioned whether Sri Lanka had received sufficient amount as damages from the owners of the vessel 'New Diamond' which caught fire within the Sri Lankan waters on a previous occasion.
“MV X-press Pearl was carrying 25 MT of Nitric Acid and freighting 1486 containers in total. It has been reported that there was a leak from one of the containers where Nitric acid was stored, when the ship was sailing in Arabian Sea. The danger was spotted by the crew. The ship was denied entry to Port Hamad in Doha, Qatar due to the leakage. Therefore it is important to determine as to who had given permission to the endangered freighter to enter Sri Lankan waters,” Mr. Premadasa questioned.
“The Sri Lankan waters have been severely polluted by the burnt ship. The environment as a whole has been affected. Water species have perished due to the chemical emissions into the sea from the burning ship. Fish within Sri Lankan waters is no longer consumable and it was reported that there is an emission of Nitrogen Oxide to the environment.,” he alleged.(Yohan Perera)
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