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BBC News
a day ago
- Science
- BBC News
BBC uncovers lasting toxic legacy of cargo ship disaster off Sri Lanka
Four years after a stricken cargo ship caused the largest plastic spill ever recorded, volunteers on Sri Lanka's beaches are still sifting kilograms of tiny, toxic plastic pellets from the of plastic nurdles, as they are called, are thought to have washed up after the X-Press Pearl disaster in 2021, along with tonnes of engine fuel, acid, caustic soda, lead, copper slag, lithium batteries and epoxy resin - all toxic to aquatic immediate damage was obvious: the nurdles inundated the shoreline, turning it white, while dead turtles, dolphins and fish began washing scientists are now flagging fears the damage to the environment could be much more enduring than previously thought. So far, hundreds of millions of nurdles may have been cleared away - but the remaining, lentil-sized microplastic granules have become increasingly difficult to find as they disappear deeper into the those pieces of plastic now appear to be becoming even more toxic, new research suggests."They seem to be accumulating pollution from the ocean," said David Megson, of Manchester Metropolitan University. "Like a lovely big chemical sponge."Nurdles are the raw materials that are melted to make plastic products and it is not unusual for large amounts to be transported in the global plastic supply problems onboard the X-Press Pearl started soon after setting sail from Dubai Port bound for Port Klang in Malaysia, when the crew noticed that a container carrying nitric acid was leaking, corroding the metal box. But they were denied permission to unload the smoking, leaking container at ports in Qatar and container had been leaking acid at a rate of about a litre an hour for at least eight days when it sailed into Sri Lankan waters late at night on 19 May had requested emergency berthing - but by the morning the Singapore-flagged vessel was firefighting efforts from the crew, the Sri Lankan authorities and salvors, the fire spread throughout the weeks later, it sank, spilling its cargo and fuel into the sea around nine nautical miles off the country's south-west coast, between the capital Colombo and Negombo to the north. What happened next "was just like out of a war movie", says Muditha Katuwawala, an environmentalist and founder of the Pearl Protectors, a local NGO that volunteered to help the clean-up operation, which was run largely by Sri Lankan state authorities with funding from the ship's owners."We started seeing turtles getting washed up with similar sorts of traits... the skin had burn marks [and] was peeling off. The nose and eyes were red and puffed up, and we saw dolphins washing up and... their skin was peeling off and red," Mr Katuwawala nurdles on the beaches were "like snow," he says, adding that "it was horrifying".The clean-up began in earnest. At the start, Mr Katuwawala and his fellow volunteers "were collecting like 300-400 kilos of nurdles" each time, it dropped to three to four kilograms in a couple of hours."The nurdles were getting more dispersed, it was harder to see them as they got buried in the sand over time."It was decided the cost-benefit ratio was no longer worth the effort of mobilising volunteers. The groups stood down, leaving the task to state-organised local clean-up the same time, scientists were getting concerned about the possibility the plastic pellets - already harmful to animals which eat them accidentally - may be getting more toxic, contaminated from the spill, or from other pollution the ensuing years, they have collected samples which could help trace the effect over time. In November 2024, the BBC and Watershed Investigations sent more than 20 of those samples to a team of forensic chemists specialising in environmental pollution from Manchester Metropolitan found the most heavily contaminated nurdles were those burnt in the fire, which leach metals toxic to aquatic life, like arsenic, lead, cadmium, copper, cobalt and team also found the pellets "still going round appear to be sucking up more pollution from the environment" and were becoming "more toxic", according to Mr Megson."They will be ingested [and] will pass pollution on to marine organisms," he carried out on fish caught near the site of the disaster - as well as the nearby Negombo lagoon - found some contained the same pollutants that were present in the ship's cargo and on the of the fish contained levels of hazardous metals - some of which were found in the disaster - which exceeded safe say the disaster cannot be discounted as the source of contamination, although it also can't be directly proven to be the source, as it's not known if these fish ate nurdles, how many they ingested, or if the pollution came from other sources."But placed on top of everything else that is in that system, there's a really good likelihood that it's causing harm to the environment and also potentially harm to people and humans that are eating and relying on that marine ecosystem for a source of their food," Mr Megson fishermen do draw the link to the disaster."There's no fish since then. We've never had the same amount of fish that we used to catch," fisherman Jude Sulanta explains."Our lives have turned upside down. From the stretch where the ship sank up until here you don't get many new, young fish at all."The ship's owner, X-Press Feeders Ltd, says to date it has worked diligently to ensure the best response to the disaster and spent more than $130m (£96m) to remove the wreck and debris at sea. It says it has also paid more than $20m to the Sri Lankan government for clean-up operations on the coast and to compensate says, however, that the Sri Lankan government has assumed responsibility for all shoreside clean-up activities and it is disappointed by the delays in that process and the ongoing impacts this is Sri Lankan government says the amount paid by the ship's owner - which was capped by an interim UK maritime court order - is not enough to cover the long-term damage, and it is pursuing legal action to overturn the cap and secure further compensation. On Thursday, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ordered the company to pay $1bn as an initial payment to cover long-term economic and environmental damage it says the country suffered as a result of the disaster - but the cap remains in place. The Supreme Court doesn't have jurisdiction over Singapore, where X-Press Feeders Ltd has its headquarters.X-Press Feeders said it was extremely disappointed with the judgment and that they are reviewing it with their legal advisers, insurers and other relevant stakeholders to best assess their next course of Prashanthi Guneeardena - an environmental economist at University of Sri Jayawardenapura who chaired an expert committee of scientists to assess the damage - puts the cost of the disaster at closer to more than $6bn, taking into account things like the loss of wildlife, as well as impact on tourism, fishing and harm to local residents from the toxic cloud released when the ship burned."Large quantities of dioxin and furan have been added to the atmosphere and these are carcinogens. And then we have calculated it may kill about 70 people in our country," says Prof ship owner rejects this assessment. It quotes the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), an organisation which is funded by the shipping industry to assess marine spills. It says the report was "unparticularised, inaccurate, and lacked credible scientific basis".The ship owner has also said itself and its crew have "followed the internationally accepted procedures in dealing with the acid leak, while maintaining all safety and emergency protocols".Colombo Port Authority has also denied any responsibility, saying it did not know of the issues until the ship arrived in its waters. The sea is the lifeblood of this island nation. Its stunning golden coasts are a huge draw for tourists, and for generations fishing has fed the country. But Mr Sulanta, the fisherman, is worried that his way of life no longer has a future."Many are selling their boats and trying to go abroad. And many people are fed up. In fact, my son himself, he's working with me at the moment. He's also a fisherman."But he's also considering leaving the country. It's already been several years. If we were going to get justice we would have had it by now," he says. You can listen to the BBC documentary Sri Lanka: The X Press Pearl disaster Leana Hosea is an environmental investigative journalist and a founder of non-profit Watershed, which investigates freshwater and marine environment issues.
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Sri Lankan court orders owners of container ship to pay US$1 billion in marine pollution compensation
A stray dog stands amid the waves as decomposed remains of a turtle lies on a polluted beach following the sinking of a container ship, the X-Press Pearl, a Singapore-flagged ship, that caught fire while transporting chemicals off Kapungoda, outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's top court on Thursday ordered the owners of a Singapore-flagged container ship that sank near its capital to pay US$1 billion in compensation to the island nation's government for causing the most severe marine environment catastrophe in the country's history. The container ship MV X-Press Peal, which was carrying chemicals, sank off Colombo in June, 2021 after catching fire. The Supreme Court said the incident caused 'unprecedented devastation to the marine environment of Sri Lanka' and harmed the country's economy, especially the lives of the fishing communities. Judges said the disaster led to the death of 417 turtles, 48 dolphins, eight whales and a large number of fish species that washed ashore after the incident. Debris from the ship, including several tons of plastic pellets used to make plastic bags, caused severe pollution on beaches. 'This marine environmental disaster constitutes the largest recorded marine plastic spill in the world,' the judgement said. 'It resulted in the widespread release of toxic and hazardous substances into the marine environment, poisoning ocean waters, killing marine species, and destructing phytoplankton.' Due to the severe marine pollution, the government imposed a fishing ban for well over a year, depriving fishermen of their income and livelihood. The incident 'continues to cause destruction and harm to Sri Lanka's marine environment,' said the judgement, signed by five supreme court judges. The judgement was given against the X-Press Pearl group that included ship's registered owner, EOS Ro Pte. Limited, and other charterers. All are based in Singapore. An agent in Sri Lanka, Sea Consortium Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd., was also named. The court said it has sufficient reasons to hold that X-Press Pearl group 'should be held accountable and liable under the Polluter Pays Principle for the pollution caused by the MV X-Press Pearl vessel.' It said the owner, operators and local agent of the ship were all liable for the payment of compensation, which should be used to restore and protect the affected marine and coastal environment. There was no immediate comment on the judgement from the owner or agent of the vessel. The court ruling came after several parties, including environment campaigners and fisher rights groups, filed litigation seeking compensation. Bharatha Mallawarachi, The Associated Press
