Burning Ship With Hazardous Chemicals Could Cause Acid Rain In Sri Lanka

There could be light acid rain due to the emission of nitrogen dioxide from the Singapore-flagged freighter that caught fire near Colombo beach last week, Sri Lanka’s top environmental body warned, asking people to be alert in case. bad weather.

The cargo ship, MV ‘X-PRESS PEARL’, was carrying a shipment of chemicals and cosmetic raw materials from Hazira in Gujarat to the port of Colombo. It caught fire 9.5 nautical miles off the coast of Colombo, where it was anchored just outside the port of Colombo on May 20.

In addition to the 325 metric tons of fuel in its tanks, MV X-Press Pearl was loaded with 1,486 containers carrying around 25 tons of dangerous nitric acid.

Especially people in the vicinity of the coastal belt should remain vigilant and make sure not to expose themselves to the rain these days, the official said.

MEPA said the fire has been largely controlled and the authority is taking all appropriate measures to carry out beach clean-up procedures as soon as possible to avoid contamination risks caused by the fire on the ship. loading.

The density of the flames is reducing. Two tugs are still involved in firefighting missions and boundary calls. Indian Coast Guard vessels and tugs from the Sri Lanka Port Authority and the Sri Lankan Navy are monitoring the situation, Lahandapura said in the report.

Lahandapura said they are closely monitoring the situation and there are no signs of oil spills.

India on Tuesday sent ICG Vaibhav, ICG Dornier, and Tug Water Lilly to help the Sri Lankan Navy put out the fire on the container ship.

India’s specialized pollution response vessel, Samudra Prahari, will arrive on Saturday to increase pollution control efforts, the Colombo Gazette reported on Friday.

Updating joint firefighting efforts, India’s High Commission said that at present, dense smoke has been observed only near the accommodation/superstructure area in the aft portion of the ship and is being addressed, according to the report.

Overall, the MV X-Press Pearl is currently evaluated as stable and without airtight integrity issues.

External firefighting with foam and seawater boundary cooling is being carried out along the entire length of the vessel from both sides and continuous monitoring of the vessel’s draft, listed conditions, and the presence of dangerous and harmful substances to the water.

“The amount of combustible material on board is estimated to be limited. ICG ships will continue to assess the situation and the decision to board or approach closer to the ship will be made after completely extinguishing the fire and carrying out sufficient cooling of the vessels. limits, “said the Indian mission.

The High Commission said that the containers that fell from the ship had been identified and that the assessment of threats to the safety of navigation has already been carried out and shared with the relevant Sri Lankan authorities, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Navy Commander Nishantha Ulugetenne said Friday that there is no threat that the ship will break in two and that the ship is now largely stable.

The 25 members of the ship’s crew, who are Indian, Chinese, Filipino, and Russian nationals, were rescued on Tuesday after a ‘fire alarm’ dispatch was dispatched.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NewsGater staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)