Gruelling effort to connect the dots that could damn the X-Press Pearl
First stage of inquiry ends next month
Scientists painstakingly collecting and testing the evidence in Sri Lanka’s worst maritime disaster say the work is “an eye-opener” for a country new to dealing with cases of catastrophe in its waters.
The environmental impact assessment of the X- Press Pearl which caught fire and sank off the coast of Colombo in May is currently underway under a 40- member expert panel. The committee is due to complete the first stage of its evaluation at the end of November.
While 22 officers aboard the ship had been arrested in relation to the incident initially, 15 have since been released, with three getting their travel bans lifted on Thursday. The captain, first and second engineers, and chief officer are among the seven officials still in custody. Investigations into any negligence are ongoing.
Sri Lankan authorities seeking scientific evidence that could pin down culpability for the damage to the country’s maritime environment, and the resulting loss of livelihood to fishermen, are collaborating with local and international laboratories over analytical reports. Samples have been sent to UK and discussions are underway with two laboratories in France and Australia.
Representatives of the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency, the National Building Research Organisation, and the universities of Moratuwa, Ru h u n a , Ke l a n i ya and Jayawardenapura are at the site, collecting fish, water, sediment and air quality samples.
“The damage report constructed using this information will have to be connected to the X-Press Pearl,” Professor Terney Pradeep Kumara of the Department of Oceanography, University of Ruhuna said. “If they find high- toxic chemicals in the water, the scientists will go to the ship’s cargo list and see if the ship was carrying this chemical.”
The civil case would involve local authorities having to defend and justify claims for compensation. “Our first task is to come up with an extremely scientific report,” the professor noted. Next, the damage will have to be converted into monetary values by a team of environmental economists.
“Marine disaster cases are quite new to Sri Lanka so we’re still learning; this was an eye opener,” Professor Pradeep Kumara admitted.
Prof Ajith De Alwis, Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Moratuwa University, and Prof Prasanthi Gunawardena, Senior Lecturer, Jayawardenapura University, head the team of experts evaluating the extent of the environmental damage caused by the wreck. The panel consists of nearly 40 experts representing 14 institutions.
“The group is conducting research under allocated thematic areas,” the Chair man of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), attorney-at-law Darshani Lahandapura, said.
Meanwhile, the cleanup process continues: every day, MEPA regional staff conduct shoreline assessments and collect data on the locations of the pollution.
They are hampered by the fact that the pollution is continuous. A field visit conducted by officials on Sarakkuwa on Thursday showed significant wreck- related pollution despite the fact that more than 120 days have passed since May 26, 2021 when the cleanup commenced.
“We have put in 33,000-plus man days for the cleanup process,” Ms Lahandapura said.
The collected waste was being stored at two sites: a container yard with 45 containers full of waste and another warehouse with more than 53,000 sacks of debris from the vessel. “We have to store these things for our investigative processes and the calculations we need to make,” the MEPA Chairman said.
MEPA has deployed a machine that can segregate plastic nurdles ( pellets) that were in the X- Press Pearl’s cargo from sea sand, shells and other objects in the Sarakkuwa area.
Ms Lahandapura said the oil spill from the ship showed like a metallic, rainbow-hued “sheen”, an iridescent appearance of oil, on the surface of the water. The internationally recognised method of minimising a sheen was mechanical dispersion, which was being done, she said.
According to the Bonn Convention, when analysts are unable to visit the location of the sheen to obtain physical samples, they are guided to make decisions on its source based on its colour. “This range of colours essentially confirmed that it wasn’t bunker oil, which is what we were most afraid of since it is more hazardous,” the MEPA Chairman said.
The sheen is also decreasing significantly. Authorities noted that the sheen which spanned across 1-2 nautical miles has become smaller and has never reached the shore.
“What happens is that the oil evaporates after a while, so what we do is something akin to churning with propellers to accelerate the evaporation process,” Ms Lahandapura said. According to international authorities in countries such as Japan, mechanical dispersion is the most effective method available for the mitigation of an oil sheen.
Chemical dispersion was not an available option as the sea at the site was too shallow. Chemical dispersion at a depth of less than 25m would damage the seabed. The slick was also too thin for the use of booms.
At the last count, on September 20, a total of 329 turtles, 36 dolphins and 7 whales had died in circumstances that could be related to the X-Press Pearl accident. Seven sick turtles are under the care of the Wildlife Conservation Department.
The fishing community is still in severe hardship since the ban on fishing in the area is still in force. Fishermen from Panadura to Negombo have not been allowed to fish in the polluted waters for months.
Local authorities are receiving United Nations expertise on risk mitigation and environmental damage reduction practices. A report released by a UN team of experts outlined recommendations that are being largely followed by the local authorities.
The report noted that the extensive sampling being conducted and the parameters that this will set would assist the government in formulating the design for a longer- term monitoring program of the marine environment. This was important not only to track this disaster’s ecological impacts but also to obtain insight on baseline conditions which are essential for conducting scientific assessment and remediation of future maritime incidents.
“A sound knowledge base is also a central requirement for litigation and damage and loss assessment,” the report stated.