Simone Smith
It was May 20th, 2021, and the crew had just noticed the smoke coming from their cargo hold. This ship is the X-Press Pearl, and it was sailing from Sri Lanka to India. It was anchored near Columbo when the fire started on deck, and over the next week, the fire intensified and continued to spread. The crew fought the fire for as long as they could, but finally, on May 24th, 2021, the 13-person crew and 12-person firefighting crew were evacuated from the ship.
Thankfully, with the help of the Sri Lankan Navy, firefighting tugs, and the Indian coast guard, the fire was brought under control. According to the Information Centre, it is not yet clear how the fire started, but authorities are suggesting that a leak from the ship’s container sparked the flames.
The story should be done here, but not before we find out what was aboard the burning ship. The ship was carrying 327 tons (297 metric tons) of heavy fuel oil, 56 tons (51 metric tons) of marine fuel oil, and 81 containers full of “dangerous goods,” including 28 tons (25 metric tons) of nitric acid, a corrosive compound. The ship was also carrying three containers or 86 tons (78 metric tons) of plastic pellets, some of which fell off the ship and are now covering beaches down to the south coast of Sri Lanka.
“It’s an environmental disaster, and currents can carry the pellets as far as the other side of Sri Lanka, potentially killing wildlife and damaging ecosystems,” Marine Biologist Asha de Vos told the Post. Vos described the beaches as being filled with piles of plastic “snow.”
Authorities have warned local residents not to touch the pellets, known as nurdles, as they can be contaminated with chemicals. Nurdles, which are the raw material used in making other plastic items, can absorb chemicals over time, and if marine species swallow them, they can contaminate the food chain.
Naturally, the authorities have had to temporarily ban fishing in these areas; the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency is sampling and analyzing dead fish and turtles found along the western coast to see if their deaths are related to the spills.
Because of a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in Sri Lanka, Pearl Protectors hasn’t been able to clean up after this incident.
