Sri Lankan Supreme Court orders shipping firm to pay a billion dollars for 2021 marine disaster

Colombo, Jul 24 (PTI) The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on Thursday ordered a Singapore-based shipping firm to pay a billion dollars in compensation for the 2021 marine disaster in the Indian Ocean.
    MV X-Press Pearl, with 81 containers of hazardous chemicals on board, caught fire in May 2021 in Sri Lankan waters.
    The ship, owned by X-Press Feeders, was burning for two weeks continuously, with one of the chemicals onboard being 25 tonnes of nitric acid.
    The Apex court ordered the company to pay for the economic loss and the massive environmental damage caused by the accident.
    The court dubbed the incident the worst marine chemical catastrophe in recorded history in the Indian Ocean.
    It noted that over 70 billion plastic nurdles and toxic substances had polluted Sri Lankan waters and coastal areas due to the incident.
    Dead turtles, dolphins and whales were seen washed up onto beaches for weeks.
    The court also ruled that gross negligence and inaction by the relevant state authorities had contributed to the disaster.
    Immediately after the incident, Sri Lanka claimed 40 million dollars to cover the initial costs of cleaning up.
    The island nation also initiated criminal litigation against the vessel’s captain, chief engineer and chief officer for the damage caused.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)