This was announced by fishing societies across the Indian Ocean island on Monday. X-Press Pearl, registered under the Singapore flag, has been burning for 12 days. The Sri Lankan Navy said the fire is now under control.
Hundreds of soldiers are in combat
A navy spokesman said that more than a thousand soldiers and sailors tried to free the beaches from pieces of plastic that washed away on the beach repeatedly. Fishing has been banned in parts of the coast until further notice, affecting more than 6,000 fishermen, according to the Fisheries Federation of all islands. The head of the Marine Protection Agency, Darshani Lahandapura, said it has not experienced any similar damage in the past few years.
Dangerous chemicals in the sea
The vessel was loaded with 1,486 containers with 25 tons of chemicals, some of which were hazardous – including nitric acid and microplastics for plastic production – and cosmetics. The cargo was to be moved from India to Singapore. A marine spokesman said a chemical substance subsequently leaked from a container during a storm, triggering a chemical reaction and leading to a fire. On Monday, police began questioning the captain and crew members who are now quarantined in Sri Lanka.
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