X-Press Pearl ship Archives

The Toxic Shipwreck: A Silent Killer Murdering Ocean Life Source:Groundviews Photo courtesy of Hemantha Withanage The X-Press Pearl ship catastrophe is the most significant ship accident that has happened in the Indian ocean and is the worst maritime disaster in the history of Sri Lanka. This is because it is a toxic ship with 81 containers of environmentally hazardous substances with over 700 containers of chemically active substances. The impact assessment has revealed that between 8,000 and 13,000 metric tons of air pollutants were released into the atmosphere from the ship’s blaze. Thirty nine containers of oil (lubricant oil, gear oil and brake oil), one container of batteries, one container of nitric acid and 349 containers of epoxy resin were on board. Around 9,800 metric tonnes of toxic epoxy was also aboard. According the UN Environment Programme, “The ship’s cargo included 25 tonnes of nitric acid, 348 tonnes of oil and, ...

Opinion: Positive happenings in Sri Lanka in 2021-By Asela Atukorala Source:LBO Sri Lanka is unfortunately in a sad state right now with its biggest problem being the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is also the X-Press Pearl ship tragedy which is causing a serious marine environmental disaster as well as the floods and landslides. As a comfort to these difficult times, I decided to provide a list of positive incidents that occurred in Sri Lanka during the first half of this year. As I heard many of these stories from the companies responsible, I would like to say that I have no affiliation with any of these companies. I’m not trying to downplay or deny the problems facing Sri Lanka. I’m showcasing a side of Sri Lanka which gets less attention. I feature stories relating to exports, agriculture, sustainable business, the environment and more. Tea Export Increases The ...