• The Petitioners state that what were once serene sandy beaches in Sri  Lanka were now covered with debris that had been washed ashore from the  blazing MV X-Press Pearl

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda   

The Centre for Environmental Justice yesterday filed a writ petition in Court of Appeal seeking an Interim Order directing the authorities to take necessary steps to detain the Captain and the crew of MV X-Press Pearl to institute necessary criminal and civil action against them.    

Filing the petition through Attorney-at-law Ravindranath Dabare, the petitioners further sought an order directing the respondents to dispose of the plastic pellets, nurdles and other debris of MV X-Press Pearl which had been collected and stored in containers, in an environmentally friendly manner or in the alternative, to re-export such waste.   

The Marine Environment Protection Authority, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Chairman of Port Authority Capt. Nihal Keppetipola, Director General of Merchant Shipping A.W.Seneviratne, The Central Environmental Authority, X-Press Feeders Company Sea Consortium Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Attorney General and several others were named as respondents in the petition.   

The Petitioners state that what were once serene sandy beaches in Sri Lanka were now covered with debris that had been washed ashore from the blazing MV X-Press Pearl.   

Petitioners stated that as of 13th of June 2021, the Marine Environmental Protection Authority had reported that over 1,000 tonnes of debris including plastic nurdles had been collected from the beaches and stored in 44 containers.   

• Over 1,000 tonnes of debris including plastic nurdles had been collected from the beaches and stored in 44 containers