Sri Lanka faces ecological disaster as burning container ship starts to sink

Sri Lanka faces ecological disaster as burning container ship starts to sink

A chemical-laden container ship that has been on fire for almost two weeks is sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka, sparking fears of an environmental disaster at one of the island's most popular beach resorts.

Efforts to move the feeder vessel MV X-Press Pearl into deeper water failed on Wednesday, prompting the Singaporean operator to shift its focus to mitigating environmental damage as the risk of a potential oil spill heightened.

The ship has already caused one of the worst marine environmental catastrophes in Sri Lanka's history. Chemicals from incinerated containers have entered surrounding waters and plastic pellets have washed ashore on sandy beaches near Negombo, which before the coronavirus pandemic was a busy tourist area.

The waters are also rich fishing grounds that typically support thousands of traditional fishermen.

The disaster struck as Sri Lanka's economy reels from the Covid-induced collapse of its' tourism industry, which accounted for almost 13 per cent of gross domestic product before the pandemic.

The island closed to international tourists for 10 months last year and has struggled to revive the sector, putting intense pressure on Sri Lanka's foreign exchange reserves, which have fallen about $4bn.

X-Press Feeders, the operator, told the Financial Times that it had called in