• Detailed studies related to marine environment could, perhaps, take  three years, and therefore Sri Lanka would seek an interim claim for  compensation   

 By Kelum Bandara   

Sri Lanka will explore the possibility of claiming an interim compensation for the marine environmental damage caused by the container vessel MV X-Press Pearl which caught fire 9.5 nautical miles off Colombo Port, an official said.  

Chairman of Marine Environment Protection Authority Dharshani Lahandapura told an online press conference, a comprehensive assessment of the damage would be done through a committee comprising of experts in fields such as chemistry and environmental-economy. She said such detailed studies related to marine environment could, perhaps, take three years, and therefore Sri Lanka would seek an interim claim for compensation.   State Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said at the same press conference the vessel was waiting to enter the port. He said Colombo Port was part of its destinations after Qatar and India, and therefore there was no truth in social media reports that it sought entry into Colombo after it was denied entry by the authorities of the other two ports on its route.   

“The vessel was carrying 5,600 containers. It was supposed to unload over 400 of them in Colombo,” he said.