• He said Sri Lanka needs to be vigilant
• The problem remains with the burnt pellets
• “It is how you are going to clean up without harming the plants and other resources that matters”

By Yohan Perera   

A top scientist from the U.S. Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) USA, said the impact of large nurdles from the X-Press Pearl ship that caught fire in Sri Lankan waters is unlikely to be a problem for fisheries in terms of toxicity and quality of seafood.  

However, he said Sri Lanka needs to be vigilant. He stressed the need to look into the health of marine lives.   
According to him, the problem remains with the burnt pellets.   
Addressing a webinar organised by the U.S. embassy in Colombo, Dr. Chris Reddy of the WHOI said it is the same with sea plants. “It is how you are going to clean up without harming the plants and other resources that matters,” he said.   
At the same time he said responders face difficulty in making decisions with incomplete information. These he said include stopping the sources, protecting resources, wildlife, and people, managing released materials and also issues referring to clean up material. “ It is also essential to assess the damages before one starts the clean-up,” he said,   

Dr. Reddy stressed that the recovery will take its own time. “The remark that had been made by a state official that the X-Press Pearl could affect Sri Lanka for 100 years cannot be substantiated. These events don’t have a calendar or milestones,” he said.   

Also he said nurdles from X-Press Pearl had travelled as far as Marawila in the North Western Province and towards Dikowita in the South, whereas unburnt nurdles that had come out of the ship had travelled beyond Marawila and Dikowita.   He said it was a daunting task to respond to such a crisis.  

• Responders face difficulty in making decisions with incomplete information