Negombo (Sri Lanka) (AFP)
An investigation was launched Sunday in Sri Lanka into the fire of a container ship off its coast, which dumped tons of plastic on its coast, in one of the worst marine pollution in the history of the 'Isle.
Millions of polyethylene granules, intended for the packaging industry, from the ship's cargo have invaded Sri Lankan beaches in recent days.
The Singapore-registered container ship MV X-Press Pearl was heading from Gujarat, India, to Colombo.
A fire broke out on board 11 days ago.
The 25 crew members, who have already been evacuated, will be questioned Monday in an investigation opened after a complaint by the Sri Lanka Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), police said.
Authorities last week said they believed the blaze was caused by a nitric acid leak that the crew had been aware of since May 11.
"The captain and crew are in quarantine, but health officials have told us we can question them tomorrow," police spokesman Ajith Rohana told AFP.
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"We sent samples of polluted seawater and burnt debris from the boat for analysis."
Authorities and the ship's operator said the fire was continuing, but was under control.
The boat's owner, X-Press Feeders, says her hull is intact and her fuel tanks are unaffected.
Most of the cargo, which includes 25 tons of nitric acid, caustic soda, lubricants and other chemicals, appears to have been destroyed by the flames, authorities said.
The MEPA also said that the plastic released from the ship had probably caused "the worst pollution of beaches in our history" and warned that it would probably take years to repair the ecological damage.
© 2021 AFP