Sri Lanka’s criminal investigators began questioning the crew of a burning cargo ship Monday, as the Singapore-registered carrier smouldered for a 12th straight day in one of the island’s worst-ever marine ecological disasters.
A fire broke out aboard the MV X-Press Pearl, which was carrying 25 tonnes of nitric acid and a huge amount of plastic raw materials, as it was about to enter Colombo harbour on May 20.
The intense flames, still burning at the rear of the 186-metre (610-foot) vessel, have destroyed much of the cargo, some of which has fallen into the Indian Ocean.
Tonnes of microplastic granules from the ship and its nearly 1,500 containers have inundated Sri Lanka’s famed beaches, forcing a fishing ban and sparking fears of ecological devastation.
The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) chief Dharshani Lahandapura said they were still assessing the ecological damage, but believed it was the “worst ever in my lifetime”.
The Police Inspector-General has…
